Wednesday, December 3, 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Meeting place: 5 Austurstræti, 4th floor
Present: Vilhjálmur Bjarnason, Chair; Guðrún Dröfn Whitehead (from item 1.2); Hlynur Hallsson; Jóhanna Erla Pálmadóttir; and Gunnhildur Ásta Guðmundsdóttir, Vice Chair, who participated via Teams.
On behalf of the principal collections, the meeting was attended by, from section 1.2: For the National Gallery of Iceland: Ingibjörg Jóhannsdóttir; for the National Museum of Natural History of Iceland: Ragnhildur Guðmundsdóttir; for the National Museum of Iceland: Harpa Þórsdóttir.
Staff of the Board of Trustees: Thóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Executive Director, who writes the minutes, and Klara Þórhallsdóttir.
1. Presentation case
1.1. This leg began at 2:00 PM. – Discussion on applications for the 2025 supplemental allocation and the 2026 main allocation. Only Vilhjálmur Bjarnason, Gunnhildur Ásta Guðmundsdóttir, Hlynur Hallsson, and Jóhanna Erla Pálmadóttir attended this part of the meeting.
1.2. This leg began at 3:00 PM. – From the last meeting. Everyone present attended the meeting. Among other things, Þóra Björk and Harpa reported on the ICOM General Assembly, which they attended last November and was held in Dubai this time. Harpa also spoke about a UNESCO conference she attended. Thóra Björk was interviewed by the television station Sýn. Klara reported on a workshop about cultural statistics.
1.3. Presentation of the number and total amount of applications for the 2025 supplemental allocation and the 2026 main allocation
1.4. The merger of two state-owned, accredited museums and the discussion about its impact on accreditation. On the one hand, it is the merger of the Einar Jónsson Art Museum with the National Gallery of Iceland, which has been in the works for many years.
The planned merger of the National Film Archive of Iceland with the Sound and Vision Library and the National Library of Iceland was also discussed. The Council of Museums will submit a review to the consultation portal when the matter is posted there.
1.5. Pruning of accredited museums was discussed. Article 17 of the Museum Act 141/2011 states „Disposal of Collection Objects. It is prohibited to dispose of collection objects unless there are compelling reasons. It is permissible to cull the collection based on a culling plan approved by the principal repository. The relevant principal repository makes the decision to dispose of collection objects after receiving a recommendation from the collections council.„There are indications that collections are not sufficiently familiar with the rules for deaccessioning and how to conduct it, particularly regarding registered vs. unregistered objects.
2. Matters for decision
2.1. From the National Museum: Deletion request from the Eastland Museum. The Museum Council has no comments on the deletion request.
2.2. For the record: The visit report for the National Film Archive of Iceland was approved and will be sent to the archive and its owners.
3. Other issues
- The council discussed a prospective proposal from Fjarðabyggð and the board of the Eastland Maritime Museum regarding a change in the museum's operating model, from being a non-profit organization entirely funded by the municipality to becoming a municipal institution. A formal proposal is expected in the coming days.
- Timing of the next meeting