FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Fred Schroeder, Resnicow Schroeder Associates,
(212) 595-0622
PRESS STATEMENT
AAMD Statement on City Funding of the Brooklyn Museum of Art
New York, September 23, 1999 - In response to the announcement that Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City has threatened to cut off all city funding to the Brooklyn Museum of Art unless it cancels the exhibition Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection, the Association of Art Museum Directors today issued the following statement:
On behalf of all Americans, the Association of Art Museum Directors supports the Brooklyn Museum of Art and its director, Arnold L. Lehman, in their presentation of Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection. We are deeply concerned by the announcement that Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mayor of the City of New York, intends to cancel city funding of the Brooklyn Museum if the museum proceeds with its plans for this exhibition. This is particularly surprising from a mayoral administration that has done so much to enhance the vitality of New York City and its cultural institutions.
There is no question that some of the works of art in this exhibition are challenging and may even be offensive to some people. Contemporary art necessarily deals with the tough and provocative issues of our day, and many of the artists represented in Sensation are grappling with the same imagery and subject matter that confront all of us in our daily lives. The Brooklyn Museum of Art has been conscientious in informing and advising prospective visitors about the nature of this work.
Every art museum in this country is a center for the free exchange of ideas, opinions and perspectives that reflect the diversity of our global culture. Discouraging this exchange undermines the principles of freedom of expression, plurality and tolerance on which our nation was founded. Canceling the Brooklyn Museum's general operating support not only deprives the public of the right to choose to see - or not to see - this exhibition; it jeopardizes the very future of the institution, the livelihood of its employees, and the cultural welfare of the many thousands of people who regularly enjoy and learn from the Museum's outstanding permanent collections, exhibitions and educational programs. If the Mayor acts on his intentions, it will set a precedent that could cripple museums across this country.
We urge the Mayor to sustain New York City's funding of the Brooklyn Museum. The City's financial support is an investment both in the quality of life of the city and in the advancement of democracy in America.
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The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) is a membership organization which represents 175 directors of the major art museums in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The President for 1999-2000 is James A. Welu, Director of the Worcester Art Museum. The Executive Director is Millicent Hall Gaudieri.
