Minutes of the 95th meeting of the Museum Council –
May 26, 2010, 12:00 – 14:00, National Museum of Iceland
Present: Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, chairman, Eiríkur P. Jörundsson, Helgi Torfason, Jenný Lind Egilsdóttir, Ágústa Kristófersdóttir. Absent: Halldór Björn Runólfsson
1. Issues for discussion and decision:
1.0.Minutes of the 94th meeting approved and signed.
1.1. Director's report: Artwork of the state banks – Memorandum and agreement. Postponed. Review of museum policy in the field of national heritage preservationThe work is progressing well and the document has been sent to the language minister for proofreading and is now undergoing final substantive processing. The Museum Council's approach to a consultation project organized by the Reykjavík Art Museum. Consultation project on family visits to the museum, the director sits in on the meetings and participates in the conceptual work. A final meeting was held on May 21st where all aspects of the project were reviewed. A report will now be prepared on the project and the museum board will receive a copy of it. Safnastarf.is, changes: the website was down due to an update, a request has been sent for changes where the curator becomes the curator/director and the type of museum becomes the type of institution. The possibility of a new domain that would be more suitable was discussed. Volunteer trip to SkógarThe acting director participated in a volunteer trip to Skógar to clean the museum and protect the artifacts. The trip was a success, with a total of about 35 people participating. The Museum Award: As in 2008, the Museum Council took on the task of accepting nominations from the public for the Icelandic Museum Awards, and the jury announced the selection of nominees on May 18th. The nominees were the Skagfirður Museum in Glaumbær, the Home Crafts Museum in Blönduós and the Living Arts Museum in Reykjavík. The awards will be presented on Icelandic Museum Day on July 11th. Icelandic Museum Day: Icelandic Museum Day will be celebrated on Sunday, July 11th, and the Museum Council will hold an open advertisement with the participation of numerous museums in Morgunblaðið on that occasion. A meeting was called to discuss the publication of the advertisement and it was decided to continue buying space in Morgunblaðið. Spring meetings: The spring meeting of the National Museum of Iceland was held on May 12th and was a success. The spring meeting of the National Gallery of Iceland is planned for May 31st, and museum policy in the field of visual arts will be the main topic of discussion. Participation in meetings: Strafandi, the Managing Director, participated in the Reykjavík Art Museum's Visual Arts Conference and the Culture Land conference organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. These were interesting gatherings, and reports will be prepared based on their findings. Museum Guide 2010: The 2010 Museum Handbook, which Anna Lísa Björnsdóttir is responsible for, is now in its final stages. The Museum Council undertook to review the list of institutions that are considered museums – numerous parties were contacted to decide on sub-institutions and more, the list is now ready and will be posted on the Museum Council's website.
1.2. Changes in the legal environment for museums – draft bills presented. Agreed that the Director General prepare draft comments based on the comments of the National Heritage Officer, which will continue to be processed electronically for the next meeting. The comments focus primarily on the composition of the Council and its position within the proposed National Heritage and Museums Authority. The Director General will review the changes currently underway in Norway.
1.3. Advertisement for grants from the museum fund: Draft text submitted along with allocation rules. It needs to be clearly stated that museums that receive operating grants from the state budget do not receive operating grants from the museum fund. Approved to send allocation rules along with an advertisement to the ministry and request a legal opinion on this issue.
1.4. Storage issues at the Reykjanesbær Regional Museum – collaboration with the Data Repository has been terminated and new premises have been obtained for the museum's storage. The result has been announced. The Museum will send a formal letter regarding the decision.
1.5. Coordinated museum visitor survey: Online version of survey introduced.
1.6. Museum Board trip: Aimed to visit museums in the capital area in September, agreed to discuss arrangements at the next meeting.
1.7.Acting CEO's journey: went to the opening of a new basic exhibition at the Þingeyingi Historical Museum in Húsavík, several museums will be visited on the way.
1.8. Grants for continuing education in 2009: It was agreed to provide each museum with one travel/re-education grant per year to attend, for example, a re-education course, spring meeting or mobile school.
1.9. Museum charters – 2010 review with a view to formal confirmation by the Museum Council: The charters of 25 museums were reviewed and compared with the Museum Council's guidelines on charters from 2009. Letters with comments will be sent to museums as appropriate. The review of charters will continue in the same manner.
2.1.The next meeting was scheduled for June 24th at 12:00 noon.