You're not wrong, but then again, other people do things differently. Some institutions have successfully set up exhibition committees that would include board members; I would think that is a useful exercise, especially as this way the board becomes informed of day to day operations by the staff, and they will feel included in the "creative" side of the museum. If you have a very good working relationship with the board (between director and board members), it would behoove you not to alienate them. They are your best bet for seeking funds to underwrite projects, most especially if you are planning a "blockbuster" exhibition; they'll get excited and who knows, they'll make money rain. I know that I am not being too helpful, but the thing of it is, do you want to set up a good exhibition committee with all the best players and make everyone communicate the long term goals of the museum in their effort to produce quality exhibitions with educational content? Then don't shut the board members out. Sure, the board members can help the museum in other ways, as some have pointed out, but depending on your size, a small, rural institution will not function in the same way that a large city museum will. My best advice is not to take a militant attitude just because in your book you think it is "wrong" to have board participation in an exhibition commitee. Be open and see what happens; maybe the board will find the whole thing tedious, and you might find yourself where you thought you would be, just staff involvement. In our case, our director is very involved in the exhibition process, from conception to birth, he is our link to the board, and he represents them, so in essence we do have "board representation." O Olivia S. Anastasiadis, Curator Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace 18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard Yorba Linda, CA 92886 (714) 993-5075 ext. 224; fax (714) 528-0544; e-mail: [log in to unmask] On Thu, 8 Apr 1999 09:36:51 PDT Jerrie Clarke <[log in to unmask]> writes: >A few days ago I put out a question asking how other museums use >exhibits committee and who sits on these committees. I was surprised, >after some of the strains we've developed, that only 3 people >responded to my question. (Thank you for responding.) Do many >museums not use these committees? > >My Board of Directors wants to form an exhibits committee. In my >experience exhibit planning is a function of the staff. The 3 >responders agree with me. Although the Board will have their way in >the end, I want to let them know they're stepping a little to far into >the management of the Museum ... or am I wrong? > >Jerrie > > > >_______________________________________________________________ >Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com > ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]