In a message dated 01-06-12 10:20:42 EDT, Adrienne Barkley wrote:

<< I recently read an article by Marie Malaro about the importance of
 remembering why non-profits originated and why we should keep public
 accountability a top concern.  It helped me realize that people give because
 they want to help, not because they're going to get a coffee mug.  Incentives
 are nice but people give to what they believe is important. >>

If you've been reading the news lately (e.g., N.Y. Times, Washington Post,
Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times), you know that some big donors demand big
incentives, and seem to be getting them: influencing or determining exhibit
concept and content, against the wishes of the professional staff; hiring
their own architects to redesign a museum; packing advisory panels with their
own selections; even having the name of an existing museum changed or
altered; etc.; etc.  We hope that people of the stature of Marie Malaro will
speak out against such outside interference in normal museum processes, which
some curators have characterized as unethical and bordering on prostitution.
Some top administrators of museums (and museum complexes, if you get my
drift) seem all too willing to sell out.  Unfortunately, when one institution
accepts large "gifts" with "strings," unhealthy trends can be set in motion
which can impact other institutions.  Museum folks who believe that their
professional staffs are best equipped to determine policy and exhibit
content, not "venture philanthropists" (while acknowledging the value of
listening to outside opinion) should make their voices heard.

David Haberstich

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