I think the 'mess' in this situation might be in the way the issue
impelled some writers on the list to stand for self-censorship.

If I read the original post correctly, Candace Perry was concerned
about the reaction of a single trustee.

It also read that the artist had expanded the personal narrative
content of his work to include something that either did or might upset
that trustee.

Is the answer to make controversy-avoidance into a policy? Surely there
are times when one or more trustees (anywhere) will object to
something, especially in the realm of public programming. Unless one
wants to reduce the mission or enable trustees to directly manage the
organization (in which case they are no longer trustees), the
appropriate course is to carry out a discourse with that trustee. The
proper forum for that objection ought to be in board meetings or with
their direct report; it sounded as if the museum director was prepared
to do just that.

I note that the Smithsonian is cited as an example to follow, but most
recently, the National Museum of Natural History censored an exhibition
of photographs of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge after pressure
from government officials (who not coincidentally would like to allow
petroleum extraction in that area) by deleting much of the interpretive
text and moving the exhibition to a lesser-used corridor.

Clearly, not a model to aspire to. (sorry to pick on the SI once again
- but the shoe fits.)

-L. Dewey


On Thursday, March 11, 2004, at 12:06 AM, Automatic digest processor
wrote:

> Date:    Wed, 10 Mar 2004 10:35:18 -0500
> From:    Candace Perry <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Help...sticky situation
>
> Mr. Burlakoff...
> Hind sight is 20-20 for me...we are a small history museum in a rural
> area,
> and though is is no excuse, I was frankly unprepared for this
> possibility.
> We don't "contract" for exhibits at this point, although we do have
> written
> agreements, which I will step up in the future. Perhaps that's naive
> of me,
> and as I mentioned, we will not be pulling the artwork (which I would
> not
> have done anyway...I would have discussed it with the artist).  I will,
> however, keep the list apprised should something actually occur with
> the
> situation.  I am still nervous about it.  I don't think my director
> feels
> there is even a "mess"...it is the potential for something to occur
> that
> worried me.
> Given the mistakes I made in this situation, which you aptly pointed
> out, I
> will certainly take measures in the future to approach such situations
> in
> the future. We're not all the Metropolitan or the Smithsonian; many of
> us
> make our way and do the best we can, and learn from our mistakes.
> Candace Perry

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