NCAC will present a Thursday panel at the College Art Association 2013 Conference entitled Art Institutions Facing Controversy: fear, self-censorship, and the commitment to curatorial and artistic freedom.
In times of economic uncertainty and polarized politics, art institutions in and outside academia are vulnerable targets. A controversial show may lead donors to withdraw support and legislators to cut public funds for an institution. Faced with what appears to be the choice between their livelihood and curatorial freedom, what are art institutions to do?
This panel addresses the various pressures on programming such institutions face and the ways they negotiate such pressures. It will also introduce NCAC’s Museum Best Practices for Managing Controversy, endorsed by major US arts organizations, including CAA and AAMG. The document offers art institutions procedures and guidelines to help them prepare for and deal with controversy.
Carol Becker, Dean, Columbia University School of the Arts, moderator Carin Kuoni Director, Vera List Center for Art and Politics Gordon Knox, director of the Arizona State University Art Museum Kathy High, media artist, curator and associate professor at the Department of Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Svetlana Mintcheva, Director of Programs, National Coalition Against Censorship
Thursday, Feb. 14, from 5:30-7 PM in the Murray Hill Suite, 2nd Floor at the Hilton New York