PND (2/15/2000) -- Conference on Museum Fundraising Reveals Questionable Practices

A group of approximately 400 students, academics, and arts administrators gathered February 12 to study the link between art and society at the University of Chicago. The conference was organized, the New York Times reports, in response to questions about museum fundraising ethics that were raised in the wake of the controversial "Sensation" exhibit last fall at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

Two of the figures at the center of the "Sensation" debate declined invitations to attend the conference: New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who had threatened to withdraw city fundng for the exhibit, and Arnold Lehman, the director of the Brooklyn Museum, who objected to the conference's title, "Taking Funds, Giving Offense, Making Money."

Among the speakers at the conference was Gilbert S. Edelson, administrative vice president of the Art Dealers Association of America, who stated that some museums take a commission on sales of new art exhibited on their walls, just as private dealers do. And while no conclusions were reached at the day-long conference, concern about censorship and infringement of first amendment rights was a common theme.

"The message of the controversy to government officials is to be careful about getting into this business of arts funding, because once you get in you may not be able to get out. The more often there are First Amendment decisions in court, the more powerfully the message goes out to legislators to be careful," said David Strauss, a University of Chicago law professor. "This is not a battle that can be won in court. People who think that there is an important role for the government to play in funding the arts have to win in the court of public opinion."

Dobrzynski, Judith H. "'Sensation,' Gone But Still Provocative." New York Times 2/14/2000.

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