At the Holocaust Museum in Washington, we have not come across this
     predicament yet.  However, as the grants officer, we would never
     accept a grant to fund an exhibition if that funder wanted control
     over the exhibition.  We would NEVER give up or give over control of
     the content of the exhibition.  When you start accepting money and
     giving up control, you run the chance of downgrading the quality of
     the product and reputation of the institution.

     Susan Grant
     Grants Officer
     U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
     [log in to unmask]



______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Outside funding of exhibits.
Author:  Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]> at INETGATE
Date:    11/14/95 11:38 AM


     I am resending this message.  I cannot believe that I got only one
     response to the query.  I expected a heated discussion and at least
     two flames.  Don't let me lose my faith in the museum listserv.
                                        Alan Hawk

______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________

     We are negotiating with a third party who is interested in sponsoring
     an exhibit at our museum.  We need imput from other museums about how
     to deal with the issue of control of the content of the exhibit.
     There are two possible models to handle this issue:

        a) The museum assumes total control over the control of the content
           of the exhibit.

        b) The museum and the sponsor share control over content, i.e.. the
             final product is to "the mutual satisfaction" of both parties.

     I ask this question, in part, as a result of the recent controversy
     over the "Science in America" exhibit in which the sponsor was not
     pleased with the final product.

     Have museums ceded some curatorial control over exhibit content as a
     result of the recent controversies?  Have sponsors begun demanding
     some curatorial control over the exhibit content?


                          Alan Hawk
                          National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP
                          [log in to unmask]