Press Releases & Statements

AAMD Annual Meeting in Chicago, May 21-24, 2012

New York, NY
May 17, 2012

The annual meeting of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) will be held in Chicago, beginning Tuesday, May 22nd. The meeting will mark the completion of the tenure of president Dan Monroe (Peabody Essex Museum); AAMD’s incoming president is Kim Rorschach (Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University).

While meeting programs are planned several months in advance, the schedule is structured to allow for discussion of current topics and issues of relevance to the field. This meeting will include a series of panel discussions and presentations by outside speakers, as well as information-sharing sessions, and committee and task force meetings for members. Program highlights are:

Journalist and educator Dr. William  F. Baker, of Fordham University, will speak about the importance of the arts in developing and sustaining leadership skills. A workshop on “Harnessing the Power of Your Board” will be facilitated by Susan Meier of BoardSource.

A presentation by Jeffrey Rayport, of the private equity firm Castanea Partners. Rayport is an authority on information-intensive industries such as media and entertainment, retail, and financial services. He has written numerous books and articles on integrating multi-channel customer experiences.

Martha C. Nussbaum, a professor of law and ethics at University of Chicago and the author of “Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities,” will give the closing keynote address.

Chicago was chosen as the site for AAMD’s annual meeting at the invitation of the four members in the area: Douglas Druick (Art Institute of Chicago), Madeleine Grynsztejn (Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago), Anthony Hirschel (David & Alfred Smart Museum of Art at University of Chicago), and Lisa Corrin (Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University). Each of the four institutions will host events for the group over the course of the meeting.

The Association of Art Museum Directors—representing 209 art museum directors in the US, Canada, and Mexico—promotes the vital role of art museums throughout North America and advances the profession by cultivating leadership and communicating standards of excellence in museum practice. Further information about AAMD’s professional practice guidelines and position papers is available at www.aamd.org.

Contact

Christine Anagnos / Alison Wade
Association of Art Museum Directors
212-754-8084

Sascha Freudenheim / Elizabeth Chapman
Resnicow Schroeder Associates
212-671-5172 / 212-671-5159