Global Museum Leaders Colloquium

The first edition of the Global Museum Leaders Colloquium (GMLC) was presented in recent days in New York City. Invited by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the event included the participation of fourteen museums from around the world. Noteworthy participation by some of the prominent guests included: Victoria Noorthoorn, Director of the Museo de Arte Moderno in Buenos Aires; Agustín Arteaga, Director of the Museo Nacional de Arte in Mexico City; and Andrés Alvarez-Calderón, Director of the Museo Larco in Lima. These participants represent an important distinction for each venue and for the Latin American art world. The GMLC colloquium took place amid a highly enthusiastic environment generated by Metropolitan Museum organizers and participants alike. It offered a space for discussion, the exchange of ideas and experiences between the Metropolitan team and the directors of the institutions invited. At the same time, it discussed the projection of institutions into the Twenty-First Century, curatorial practices within the global context, conservation and scientific research, the management of collections, education, public programs, libraries, academic research, among other themes. The guest directors from Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, China, Georgia, India, Japan, Mali, Mexico, The Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand underscored the challenges that generate more interest, among these: how to strengthen the image of museums as public institutions that are likeable and welcoming without jeopardizing their academic, scientific and educational missions; how to secure adequate funding; how to optimize human resources; and how to develop new cooperation strategies among museums. During the inaugural ceremony on April 3, Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, said: "Since its inception, the Metropolitan has embraced an international perspective and sought to open its visitors' eyes to the world. Like any great museum, the Metropolitan is a place where people come together to understand different points of view. It is with this in mind that we welcome this distinguished group of museum leaders from 14 countries on five continents for the launch of our global museum leadership program. Ideally, this exchange of ideas and experiences will generate collaborative thinking that will prove beneficial not only to the participating institutions but to museums on a much broader scale." For information about the colloquium: http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/museum-departments/office-of-the-director/museum-leaders/program-highlights http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/press-room/news/2014/global-museum-leaders-colloquium) Participants: http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/museum-departments/office-of-the-director/museum-leaders/participants