Tuesday, May 16, 2017, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location: Kópavogur Cultural Center, Gerðarsafn
Present: Ólafur Kvaran, chairman, Anna Sigríður Kristjánsdóttir, vice chairman, Haraldur Þór Egilsson, Helga Lára Þorsteinsdóttir, Sigríður Björk Jónsdóttir, Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, Harpa Þórsdóttir and Þóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, managing director.
Hilmar J. Malmquist did not make it.
The meeting began with a presentation at the Gerðarsafn Museum.
0. Approval and signing of the minutes of the 161st meeting of the Museum Council
1. Presentation case
1.1. Overview of the Council's activities since the last meeting
1.2. Allocation from the Museum Fund 2017. The Minister of Education, Culture and Sports has allocated a total of ISK 97,329,000 from the Museum Fund 2017, after receiving the Museum Council's opinion. Of this amount, ISK 72.3 million will go to individual projects and ISK 25.1 million in operating grants to 38 recognized museums throughout the country.
This time, a total of 146 projects received applications for grants. Grants are being awarded to 86 projects and range from ISK 150,000 to ISK 2.0 million.
2. Matters for decision
2.1. Legal opinion on museum recognition presented at meeting. Museum Council decided to examine the matter further and bring it up at the next meeting
2.2. There have been impending changes to the operations of the Garðskagi Regional Museum that could affect the museum's status as a recognized museum. The Museum Council sent a letter to the Garð Municipality Council in March regarding the status of the Garðskagi Regional Museum as a recognized museum, and the Museum Council's executive director subsequently had a meeting with the municipality's cultural affairs representative. The Museum Council decided to give the municipality six months to meet the Museum Council's terms and conditions for recognized museums.
2.3. The Museum Council agreed to return to the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture a letter requesting the publication of images in museum catalogues on the World Wide Web.
2.4. Supervision of recognized museums. The Húnvetningar og Strandamanni Museum, the Skagfirðinga Museum, the Húsavík Whale Museum, the Akureyri Industrial Museum, the Akureyri Museum and the Icelandic Herring Museum were in the second round of the Museum Council's supervision and submitted their supervision reports to the Museum Council at the end of last year. The Museum Council's Supervision Committee has submitted evaluation reports based on these museums' supervision reports, where an assessment of the condition of the collection, storage and exhibition spaces can be found in the evaluation reports, along with proposals for improvements and the time frame that the museums should set for themselves to correct the issues that the Evaluation Committee finds necessary. The Evaluation Committee's evaluation reports were approved by the Museum Council via email. Haraldur Þór Egilsson abstained from this approval.
2.5. Reports on the use of grants in 2015. In 2015, 130 project grants were awarded and, according to the Museum Act, grant recipients are required to submit reports on the use of the grants within two years. 119 reports have been submitted, one grant was repaid to the Museum Council, a deadline was given for the use of grants for 7 grants (submission deadline later this year), but reports for three grants have not been submitted. The Museum Council approved the reports and those who have not submitted reports will receive a reminder to submit them.
2.6. Request for postponement of the use of grants from the Sarps Management Company and from the Design Museum approved.
2.7. The Museum Council's 2016 annual report was presented to the Museum Council. The council members were given 10 days to review the report and submit comments.
Other issues
No other business was discussed and the meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m. / ÞBÓ