16 Jan 2019
American Alliance of Museums to launch diversity initiative
BY Luke Cloherty
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has launched a US$4m (€3.5m, £3.1m) initiative to diversify museum boards and leadership.
Called 'Facing Change: Advancing Museum Board Diversity and Inclusion', it will provide training and resources to museum leaders to "build inclusive cultures within their institutions that more accurately reflect the communities they serve", according to AAM.
Under the scheme, boards will be encouraged to promote diversity and inclusion at all levels and leaders will undergo special training from AAM appointed experts, with work starting this year.
The initiative is being funded thanks to a financing collaboration between the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, Alice L Walton Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The three-year grant is the largest in AAM's 113-year history.
"To make real and lasting change, work needs to be done at the top where the tone and priorities for each museum are established," said Laura Lott, AAM president and CEO.
"Museum trustees and leaders can and must do more. Complementing the hard work and investments being made to diversify the talent pool, programming and collections of museums, AAM aims to drive long-lasting systemic culture change.
"Thanks to the leadership, courage, and generosity of our three partner foundations, we will work steadfastly to sharpen the focus on museum boards and directors as agents of this vital change."
The move comes on the back of AAM's Facing Change report, which was issued last year by a group of museum professionals and co-chaired by Lott and DEAI champion Johnnetta Betsch Cole.
The paper stated that systemic change and inclusive leadership at all levels of an organisation are vital to long-term genuine progress.
Four main strands will be covered by the initiative. Firstly, there will be field-wide standards and programs to advance excellence in diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion, based on AAM's existing Continuum of Excellence.
Secondly, there will be an inclusive leadership development programme for 50 museums in five to-be-selected cities across the US.
Thirdly, AAM will create an online resource centre for inclusive museum governance, complete with case studies, sample documents and custom content.
Finally, AAM will provide board matching support to connect individuals interested in serving on museum boards with museums seeking new board members and talent.
"Arts institutions are most effective when they build relationships with the local community that anchors them, as well as the global communities that visit them," said Alice Walton, philanthropist and founder of the Alice L Walton Foundation.
"The effort to build community is strengthened when diversity, equity and inclusion are fully realized within institutional leadership and this initiative provides the tools and resources necessary to do so."
Mariët Westermann, Andrew W Mellon Foundation executive vice president for programs and research, added: "The future of American museums will depend in large part upon their ability today to implement steadfast commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion in staff and programming in order to serve their constituent audiences and enact their public education missions."
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