Terri--
Thanks for your commentary.  You have expressed my appreciation, as well,
for the responses to the issues of "globality", as someone called it, on
this list.

Regarding the public forum sponsored by my organization, Newseum/NY and the
First Amendment Center, we were fascinated and frustrated by the difficulty
in lining up the panel of speakers.  As was reported elsewhere in the media,
the museum community in general was reluctant to go on the record about this
story.  And that was our experience too.  We were fortunate to have Susan
Ball, who is very articulate, and came across with great sincerity and
credibility.
I doubt if anyone's opinions were changed radically by what was discussed.
But there were  certainly strong emotions and good information expressed by
the panel and members of the audience to firm up people's minds about the
issues.

Also, I enjoyed the global nature of the "Sensation" discussion on this list
as well.

Judy Ulrich
Newseum/NY


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Theresa McNichol [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 1999 9:52 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: Global List
>
> Hi global friends,
>
> Kudos, Theresa and Harry and everyone who enthusiastically responded to
> Karin's inquiry about the global list. And thank you, Karin, for your
> courage to open us all to something tremendously important.
>
> I follow this list habitually to learn and most of all connect with the
> museum community at large. How rich we are to have participating members
> from all over the world! When I saw Javier's request and responses to
> it, I was envious of our Spanish-literate members.
>
> The museum community has the role to educate and enrich the communities
> they serve, communities that are diverse more than ever before. The
> board of education of Portland, Maine, recently advertised for a
> Multiculural Coordiantor to diversify the professional staff because
> they have identified 43 different languages in the city alone! When I
> spoke with a representative of the Hispanic Society in my city, I
> inquired how many groups came under that umbrella. The answer was 26.
>
> Though I have not seen the Sensation exhibit yet, I did attend the
> public forum held in NYC which was sponsored by the First Amendment
> Council. Norm Siegel of Civil Liberties was on the panel as was Susan
> Ball from CAA, Wm. Murphy  from the Catholic League and the reviewer
> from US News and World Reports. Susan was great making one good point,
> among others, that enduring art has always caused a sensation when it
> first appeared on the scene--even that of the Impressionists. Norm was
> staunch in his defense of the First Amendment, yet inclusive and
> courteous relating to everyone. The remaining two were, in a word,
> reactionary.
>
> However, the powerful comments came from individuals in the audience.
> One woman said it best--she had lived in Haiti and other third world
> countries and sensed from listening to the panel that there was a
> xenophobia for other cultures. She mentioned that the madonna in
> question was black which had not been brought out by the panel. And that
> other paintings in the exhibit by the same artist had dung as well and
> yet they were not discussed. In addition, she expressed her
> disappointment that people from other cultures were missing from the
> panel.
>
> This list, most of all, must stay global--not factionalize. That's a
> major problem in this world of ours. We have to demonstrate unity and
> connectedness--is that not the attraction of museum careers? And what
> generosity of the people in it--people like Ellen, Harry, Deb, and all
> of you on the list.
>
> These are exciting times. And for all of you desiring museum jobs--do
> not despair.I wanted to teach art and art history fulltime and ended up
> directing a museum. Key to my getting the position was that I did an
> internship at a museum (which was only one day a week for a semester).
> Be creative. You will need that skill in a museum career. Volunteer to
> be on a nonprofit board, join and become active in your trade
> associations, attend seminars and conferences and network, network and
> more network. And when you land that wonderful museum position remember
> to take people up the ladder with you.
>
> Terri McNichol
> Museum Consultant
> Multicultural Specialist
>
>

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ museum-l.html. You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).