201st Museum Council Meeting

Friday, February 19, 2021 – 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Location: The Museum and Teams

Present: Vilhjálmur Bjarnason, Chair, Gunnhildur Ásta Guðmundsdóttir, Helga Lára Þorsteinsdóttir, Hlynur Hallsson (on Teams), Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir, Harpa Þórsdóttir (on Teams), Álfheiður Ingadóttir (on Teams on behalf of Hilmar Malmquist), Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, Klara Þórhallsdóttir, staff member of the museum board, and Þóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Executive Director.

1. Presentation case

  1. Advice is welcome. The new board of trustees was welcomed, and it is appointed from February 1, 2021, to January 31, 2025. The main tasks of the board were briefly reviewed. Before the meeting, the board members had received Information folder for council members and Annual Report of the Museum Council 2019.
  2. Council reviews headquarters and lobbying ties. No trustee, except for one, has an interest in the review of applications for the collection fund. Hlynur Hallsson is the director of the Akureyri Art Museum and therefore will not sit on the application evaluation committee.
  3. Overview of the council's activities since the last meeting. The Executive Director reported on their participation in the advisory group for the Government's Culture Strategy for 2030. The Council of Museums, together with the directors of the National Museum of Iceland, the National Gallery of Iceland, the Reykjavík Art Museum, and the City History Museum, sent a joint letter to public health authorities regarding an increase in museum visitors, and as a result, the visitor capacity was increased to a maximum of 150 people per space.
  4. East Iceland Technical Museum. The East Iceland Technical Museum in Seyðisfjörður was severely damaged after a mudslide fell on a large part of the museum's buildings in December 2020. The Museum Council provided 1 million króna in emergency funding for the rescue of the collection. Work on cleaning and rescuing the collection began in mid-January and is a joint project of Austurbrú (a cooperation forum for municipalities in East Iceland), The East Iceland Museum of Technology, museums in East Iceland, the City History Museum, the National Archives, the Museum Council, and the National Museum of Iceland, which provides advice as a parent institution and is responsible for planning and administration on behalf of the government. Many museums have generously loaned their experts to participate in the cleanup and rescue efforts. On behalf of the Council of Museums, Ingibjörg Áskelsdóttir, a conservator on the Council's supervisory committee, is the team leader for the cleanup effort, and the Council receives reports on the project's progress.
  5. COVID-19 and the impact on museum work. The new museum board received a report that the board published last summer in collaboration with ICOM Iceland and FÍSOS, as well as the results of a survey the museum board conducted among museums last fall. The situation for museums has been difficult over the past year. Operating funds for most museums have been reduced significantly, by as much as 75%, and resources are limited, especially for museums that are private non-profit organizations, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Museum Council among museums on the impact of COVID-19 in the country. Museums in Iceland have not received any direct support from the government in the wake of COVID-19, and it has been revealed that the support intended for businesses and other entities in financial distress due to the situation cannot be utilized by any accredited museums, due to strict rules set forth in the Act on Financial Support for Smaller Businesses Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic No. 38/2020 and the Director of the National Tax Administration's interpretation of who can use the resources. This includes government closure grants and support loans. Additionally, since June 1st, museums have been barred from using the unemployment fund's partial compensation scheme, which many museums that are non-profit organizations had utilized due to a loss of income. So far, no other state financial support has come to accredited museums besides from the Museum Fund.
  6. New accredited museum – The National Film Museum of Iceland. Based on a recommendation from the Council on National Archives, the Minister of Education and Culture decided on January 28 of this year to grant recognition to the National Film Archive of Iceland. The Board of the National Museum is tasked with notifying the National Film Archive of this decision and sending them a document confirming its recognition under the Museums Act. The National Film Archive has been notified of the decision and is welcomed into the group of recognized museums.
  7. Presentation of the 2021 work and financial plan. The Executive Director presented the Museum Board's work and financial plan for 2021. The plans are to be approved at the 202nd Museum Board meeting.
  8. Discussion about suitable meeting times for the council.

    (A break was taken here for the first item of the meeting, 1. Matters for Information, and a discussion was held on items 2. Matters for Approval and 3. Other Matters.)

  9. (The discussion on item 1.9 took place at the end of the meeting. Representatives of the main archives excused themselves and left the meeting before the discussion. Hlynur Hallsson is recused from commenting on the allocation and left the meeting).
    Main Allocation 2021. The deadline for applications in the 2021 main allocation of the collection fund was Wednesday, December 16th. The Executive Director presented the number of applications, the total amount, and the timeline for the application and review process. The following council members serve on the application evaluation committee: Vilhjálmur Bjarnason, Gunnhildur Ásta Guðmundsdóttir, Helga Lára Þorsteinsdóttir, and Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir. These council members were provided with the application materials. The evaluation committee aims to complete its work by the end of March.

2. Matters for Decision

  • No cases for decision were on the agenda.

3. Other matters

From the National Museum:
The National Museum of Iceland submitted a draft deaccessioning plan for the East Iceland Museum of Technology in Seyðisfjörður for the council's review, in accordance with Article 17 and Article 7, paragraph 2, subparagraph g of the Museum Act No. 141/2011. As stated in the plan, this is an emergency plan following a mudslide that carried away part of the museum's building, and its collection and other buildings were subsequently designated as being in a danger zone.  In accordance with the museum act, the National Museum has reviewed the plan and approved it. The National Museum is prepared to send experts to the site to assist with the assessment of artifacts in accordance with this plan. The Museum Council discussed the matter at its meeting and has no objections to the plan.

– Meeting adjourned at 1:30 PM/THB