Minutes of the 90th meeting of the Museum Council
January 29, 2010, 12:00 – 14:30, National Museum of Iceland
Present: Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, chairman, Halldór Björn Runólfsson, Helgi Torfason, Jenný Lind Egilsdóttir, Guðný Dóra Gestsdóttir, Rakel Halldórsdóttir, Ágústa Kristófersdóttir. Guðrún Alda Gísladóttir and Garðar Guðmundsson from the Archaeological Institute of Iceland joined the meeting, at the invitation of the Museum Council, to discuss in more detail a specific item for discussion by the Council (see below).
1. The minutes of the 89th meeting were approved and signed.
2. Director's report.
Ágústa Kristófersdóttir, who will replace the CEO during her upcoming maternity leave, participated in the meeting. Relocation of the Museum Council's office to the National Museum of IcelandThe Museum Council's office moved from the National Gallery of Iceland to the National Museum of Iceland on January 13, 2010. The office is now located on the 4th floor of the National Museum's tower, at Suðurgata 41, 101 Reykjavík. Reports on the use of grants 2009Museum reports on the use of grants from the museum fund for 2009 have been received. Coordinated museum visitor survey. The project is progressing well. A working group on the project has drawn up a questionnaire that will be presented to visitors to Icelandic museums this summer, probably in July, for the first time. The Minister of Culture will continue to work on the progress of the project with the working group. Review of Museum Policy in the field of national heritage preservation. The Ministry of Culture has assisted the National Museum in reviewing its museum policy. A consultation meeting was held regarding the review in Akureyri on 7/12, where various useful suggestions were made. Meetings are planned in Egilsstaðir and West Iceland/Westfjords in the coming weeks. Response from the Ministry of Education and Culture regarding the Museums Council's comments on the Þorlák Bible from 1644. In light of the owner of the 1644 Þorlák Bible showing interest in exporting the Bible for sale at auction abroad, the Museums Council of the Ministry of Education and Culture pointed out that experts had assessed the Bible in question as a well-preserved and valuable copy for Icelandic national culture and suggested that the Ministry assist the National Library in acquiring the copy if it were offered for sale. In the letter, the Ministry suggested that the Museums Council consider a request to export the aforementioned copy of the Þorlák Bible, when such a request is received by the Museums Council. No such request has been received, but information has been received that the owner of the copy intends to continue to keep the copy in his possession for the time being. Suggestion to the museum board regarding the Saltfish Center of Íslands. A suggestion was received by the Museum Council regarding the Icelandic Saltfish Centre, which states that the Icelandic Saltfish Centre is a company in competitive operations and should therefore not receive grants from the Museum Fund. The Icelandic Saltfish Centre has not applied for grants from the Museum Fund in recent years and will not apply in 2010. State-owned banks' art holdings. The Museum Council discussed the issue and considered it important to take action in some way. The Council discussed taking the agreement on the banks' art holdings for review at the next meeting. HBR will present a memorandum regarding the issue and the agreement in question at the next meeting for review.
3. Report of the Museum Council on the results of the Council's activities 2002-2009. The report was compiled on the occasion of the appointment of a new council on November 25th and to provide clarity on the results of the council's activities, which have been considerable since the beginning. The Museum Council was established by the Museums Act No. 106/2001 and the council first met at the end of 2001. The report is based on activities from 2002, as there was no measurable work of the council in 2001. The report will be sent to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
4. Draft meeting schedule 2010 for approvalA draft meeting schedule for 2010 was presented and approved.
5. Service Agreement 2010 and Museum Fund Budget 2010. A new service agreement between the Museum Council on behalf of the Museum Fund and the National Museum of Iceland was presented due to the relocation of the Museum Council's office to the National Museum. The Museum Fund's budget for 2010 was submitted for approval. There is a 1 million. ISK increase in the Council's estimated administrative costs from the previous year. The increase is explained by the Council's new projects, media monitoring of museum affairs (mostly) and a coordinated museum visitor survey. The 2010 budget was approved.
6. Distribution ticket for the export of cultural property. The final version of the handout with an English translation was presented. It was agreed that the signatures of the main collections would also be written in English. It was agreed to carry the handout under the name of the collaborator. The final version was approved.
7. Media monitoring of museum affairs. A signed agreement on media monitoring was presented. Media monitoring of museum affairs has been initiated by the Museum Council. Registered museum institutions on safnastarf.is will benefit from this service.
8. Draft rules of procedure of the Directorate of Customs on cooperation regarding Act No. 105/2001The Directorate of Customs' draft on cooperation regarding Act No. 105/2001 was presented.
9. Coventry church glass, loose glassIn light of the opinion of the director of the National Museum of Iceland's antiquities collection, it was agreed to send a letter regarding the matter to the Bishop's Office, pointing out the loose glass and the need to ensure its preservation conditions, such as packaging and location. The National Museum of Iceland should be contacted for advice in this regard.
10. Copyright issues of collections. The issue was discussed and the importance of getting these issues on track as far as museums are concerned was discussed. The Museum Council has a representative on the Copyright Committee of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and will monitor the work of the committee. The aim is to take the matter up for consideration in the coming months.
11. Presentation from Hvalfjörður Village regarding the Local History Museum in Göðar. The Museum Council received a letter from the municipality of Hvalfjarðarsveit requesting the council's advice regarding the municipality's involvement in the operation of the Byggðasafn in Görður. The consultant is being sought as there are organizational changes coming that provide for closer cooperation between cultural institutions in Akranes, including the Byggðasafn, but Hvalfjarðarsveit is the sole owner of the Byggðasafn. The matter was discussed and it was agreed that MH and RH would send Hvalfjarðarsveit a response.
12. A message regarding the Reykjanesbær City Museum in connection with a service agreement with Gagnavörslan ehf. The Museum Council received a letter from the cultural representative of Reykjanesbær requesting advice on a draft of a new agreement with the Data Repository for the preservation of the Reykjanesbær Museum's collections. The matter was discussed. It was agreed to respond to the letter by stating that the Council considered the existing draft agreement to be insufficient, and that the services offered and how they were to be provided needed to be further clarified. The preservation of the collections needed to be guaranteed in every way, including with regard to the future of the company. It was also emphasized that it was not possible to transfer the statutory role of a museum to a private party. The Museum Council also expressed its readiness to consult on a new draft agreement.
13. Kevin P. Smith's application for a permit to export cultural property. The Museum Council received an application from Kevin P. Smith, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA, for permission to export cultural property from archaeological excavations at Gilsbakki, Hvítársíð, for research purposes. Comments were requested from the National Museum of Iceland and the Icelandic Archaeological Conservation Service. The matter was then referred to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for processing in terms of a request for permission to export animal remains in accordance with Act No. 105/2001. The National Museum of Iceland's comment was positive regarding export. No written comment from the Icelandic Archaeological Conservation Service has been received, but verbal information has been received that the Icelandic Archaeological Conservation Service prefers that permission not be granted for the export of the artifacts until artifacts from the same archaeological excavation from 2008 have been returned to this country. It was agreed to hold the matter until the next meeting when the Museum Council has received a written comment from the Icelandic Archaeological Conservation Service.
14. Herdís Hallvarðsdóttir's application for the export of cultural property for the purpose of sale has been processed.. The Museum Council received an application from Herdís Hallvarðsdóttir for the export of cultural property for sale at auction at the Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen. The work in question is a work by Ásgrím Jónsson, Strutur and Eiríksjökull, oil on canvas. The National Gallery of Iceland was asked for its opinion on the matter. The National Gallery of Iceland's opinion was positive regarding export. A permit for export has been issued.
15. Guðrún Ölda Gísladóttir's application for permission to temporarily export leather artifacts for research purposes has been processed. The Museum Council received an application from Guðrún Ölda Gísladóttir at the Archaeological Institute of Iceland for permission to temporarily export leather artifacts from five archaeological excavations of the Archaeological Institute. Comments were sought from the Icelandic Archaeological Service and the National Museum of Iceland. Both comments were positive regarding export. A permit for export has been issued.
16. Application by Guðrún Ölda Gísladóttir for permission to temporarily export artifacts from archaeological excavations for safekeeping abroad. The Museum Council received an application from Guðrún Ölda Gísladóttir at the Archaeological Institute of Iceland for permission to temporarily export artifacts from the Archaeological Institute's archaeological excavations for safekeeping abroad. Comments were sought from the National Archaeological Conservation Agency and the National Museum of Iceland. The National Museum's comment was unequivocal that export should not be permitted due to the importance of the artifacts and that ways should be sought to safeguard them in Iceland. According to the decision of the 89th Museum Council meeting on 10 December 2009, the export of the artifacts was not permitted with reference to Article 4 of Act No. 105/2001. No comment was received from the Archaeological Institute, but the institution forwarded a letter from the summer of 2009 to the Museum Council stating that the institution approves of the specified foreign custodian but opposes the artifacts being transported abroad for safekeeping. In continuation Following the decision of the Museum Council from the 89th Meeting, Guðrún Alda sent the Council a letter requesting a meeting with the Council regarding the matter. Guðrún Alda was invited to attend the 90th Museum Council meeting, which she and her colleague, Garðar Guðmundsson, accepted. Guðrún Alda and Garðar reviewed the matter and requested that the matter be reviewed and that a further examination of the artifacts at the National Museum be carried out and a new opinion be provided as a result. The Museum Council agreed to request a new opinion from the National Museum of Iceland on the matter.
17. Application for export of a work by Guðmundur frá Miðdalur to an exhibition abroadndis. The Museum Council received an application from Íslandsbanki for permission to export a work by Guðmundur frá Miðdalur to exhibitions abroad. A comment was requested from the National Gallery of Iceland. No comment has been received. The matter was postponed until the next meeting.
18. Conservation of church artifacts in Möðruvallar Church. In continuation of the previous discussion, a request was made for permission to export the altarpiece from Möðruvallar Church in Eyjafjörður for sale abroad. In view of the comments (by the National Museum of Iceland, the National Gallery of Iceland and the Bishop of Iceland) about the altarpiece, the museum board agreed, according to a letter dated 10 December 2009, not to permit the export of the altarpiece with reference to Article 4 of Act No. 105/2001. In a letter from the Icelandic Archaeological Service, dated 16 December 2009, it is stated that the church artifact in question, along with other church artifacts, is protected according to the opinion of the Archaeological Service and the National Archaeologist.
19. Next meeting and other matters. The next meeting, according to the newly approved 2010 meeting schedule, is Thursday, February 11, 2009.
Off-the-plan items:
HT announced the planned relocation of the Icelandic Museum of Natural History to the old Radio and Television Station on Suðurgata. The radio and television station belongs to the National Museum of Iceland.
GDG presented a resolution by the Association of Icelandic Museums and Collectors on the appointment of a new House Preservation Committee, in which the appointment is criticized.
There was no further discussion and the meeting adjourned at 17:15/RH