Virtual | Deaccessioning: Competing Needs, Contested Terrain, & the Future of the American Museum

1pm ET | 11pm CT | 10am PT

American art museums are at a critical crossroads. The economic fallout from COVID-19 coupled with the urgent need to address systemic racism and social injustice are converging to create a looming state of emergency. These intertwined crises have given rise to debates about who and what museums are for, and what role permanent collection objects play in fulfillment of their missions. At the forefront of these discussions is the controversial practice of collection deaccessioning. A succession of headlines announcing the consignment of valuable art from high-profile institutions to auction houses throws into relief just how important it is, at a time when art collections are increasingly seen to be in tension with addressing equity needs. This clash of priorities exists in the face of eroding resources, and raises existential questions about the nature of museums and the public they serve, as well as considerations of ethical guardrails and legislative oversight.

We invite you to join ArtTable and our expert panel on April 27 from 1-2 PM (EST) for a lively conversation about this pressing issue. We will hear from Dr. Jill Deupi, Beaux Arts Director & Chief Curator of the Lowe Art Museum (University of Miami); Katie Wilson-Milne, Partner at Schindler, Cohen & Hochman LLP; and Sara Raza, former Guggenheim UBS MAP Curator for the Middle East & North Africa; moderated by Hope Davis, fine art appraiser, Hudson River Museum trustee, and member of the ArtTable New York Programs Committee.

Admission

• Non-Members – $15
• ArtTable Members – $10
• ArtTable Circle Members – Free
• Members may bring an additional guest for $5

How to take part:

1. Click here to Register for this program.
2. Following registration you will receive call-in information in the form of a ZOOM link.
3. Before joining a Zoom meeting on a computer or mobile device, you can download the Zoom app from the Download Center and select the “Zoom Client for Meetings” option. Alternatively, you will be prompted to download and install Zoom when you click a join link.
4. For further instruction on how to use Zoom, see here.

Not a member? Join today!

Can’t make the program at this time? Register anyway to receive a recording after!

Accessibility: Please note that this program will offer live closed captioning. If you require additional accommodations, please email programs@arttable.org.

About the Speakers

Dr. Jill Deupi is the Beaux Arts Director and Chief Curator of the Lowe Art Museum (University of Miami). Prior to assuming this position, Deupi was Director and Chief Curator of University Museums at Fairfield University, where she was also an Assistant Professor of Art History. Deupi is a Trustee of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), co-chairs the Task Force for the Protection of University Collections (AAMG), and chairs the City of Coral Gables Arts Advisory Panel. She is also a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, the Leading Change Institute, and the Getty Leadership Institute.

Katie Wilson-Milne is a Partner at Schindler, Cohen & Hochman LLP. Katie advises clients in the art, cultural and creative communities, including art galleries, other art businesses, collectors, artists, and not-for-profit organizations on matters related to the purchase, sale, lending and financing of art, as well as gallery, auction house, and museum relationships and corporate governance. She also represents clients in the art world in disputes involving representation, collaborations, contracts, copyright, authenticity, title, provenance and appraisals. Katie also teaches and speaks regularly on art law topics. She is the former Secretary of the Art Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association and co-hosts the Art Law Podcast with Steven Schindler.

Sara Raza is the former Guggenheim UBS MAP Curator for the Middle East and North Africa. She has curated exhibitions of visual art art and culture for over a decade (2004-2018) internationally, in both an independent and institutional capacity, for museums, festivals and biennials, focusing on global art practices from Asia and the Middle East. She has also curated a number of public programs of artist talks and symposia to accompany her projects.

Hope Davis (moderator) is a fine art appraiser and a trustee of the Hudson River Museum in Westchester, NY. Beginning at Sotheby’s, her professional experience brought her to M. Knoedler & Co., where as Director of American Art, she organized major exhibitions on James McNeill Whistler (Margaret MacDonald, Curator), and Winslow Homer (Lloyd Goodrich, Curator). She established Hope Davis Fine Art in the late 1980s, specializing in late 19th-20th century American art. Now living in the Berkshires, she also curates exhibitions and promotes contemporary regional artists through Davis Gregory Art.

Thank you to Hope Davis, ArtTable’s New York Chapter Programming Committee, for organizing this program.

Images: 

1. Art Storage. Image via kasten-storage.com, via Widewalls
2. GIF Headlines courtesy of the New York Times, Hyperallergic, The Art Newspaper, and Artnet News