Advisory Panel

From Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program

Special Advisory Panel

At the July 19 meeting it was determined that an Advisory Panel of past panel members be established to continue working on the issues described below. Check back for updates. The nominees have been selected. Meet the new Advisory Panel.

Requirements for Self-Nomination

• This is a self-nominating process.
• All previous MAEP Artist Panel members are eligible.
• To self-nominate send your name and a brief paragraph to Tamatha Perlman, MAEP Associate at tsopinski@artsmia.org.
• The nomination process closed at the end of the day, Thursday, August 7, 2008.

The Advisory Panel is defined as follows

• The Advisory Panel will consist of four people. The only requirement is that each has served previously on the artist panel.

• The Advisory Panel will be selected by an online vote.

• The initial tenure of the Advisory Panel will be for a period of six months. After that period, it will be determined if the panel needs to be active for longer.

• The Advisory Panel and the Artist Panel will work with the administration of the MIA to define the future relationship between the Artist Community and the MIA as it pertains to MAEP.

• The Artist Panel will independently continue to select exhibitions for the upcoming year.

Some of the key issues at hand include (derived from the July 15 Panel Meeting with MIA Director and President Kaywin Feldman)

1. Departmental Structure
   1. MAEP needs to maintain its independent, democratic position as an artist-run curatorial department as it has existed since 1975. Keeping this structure complements the overall goals for Contemporary Art in the Strategic Plan.
      1. Will the Organizational Chart, with its emphasis of MAEP as a sub-unit within Contemporary Art be corrected? Will MAEP be its own curatorial department as it has been?
      2. It is important that MAEP maintain its own independent office space and staff, as other curatorial departments do.
      3. The Gallery Statement, currently hanging on the wall of the MAEP galleries, is essential to defining the MAEP. Will the gallery statement be changed in any way?
2. MAEP Coordinator
   1. The coordinator is essential to the operation of the MAEP.
      1. How quickly will the MAEP Coordinator be replaced?
      2. Will there be any changes to the job description?
      3. When hiring a new coordinator will the panel and a group from the MIA will work jointly in selecting a replacement?
3. The MAEP Artist Panel
   1. As representatives of the Minnesota Artist Community, the Panel can vote to reject or accept any recommended changes to the program.
   2. Will the MAEP panel still maintain curatorial control over the selection process?
   3. Will the MAEP panel, its selection process and control over the two MAEP galleries be changed in any way?
4. The Artist Community

The artist community has the right to reject any changes as well and vote to disband the program during a public vote at a community meeting.

MIA Statment Issued July 23, 2008

Click here to view a pdf of the latest statment from the Director regarding the future of MAEP. Full text below:

July 23, 2008

To: Members of the Artists Panel
From: Kaywin Feldman

Several messages sent to me from members of the artist community since the public meeting last Saturday have commented that the language of the MIA’s previous statement was “too vague” and did not address the primary concerns to the community in a direct manner. That was certainly not our intention. In an effort to be as straightforward as possible, the following five statements reflect our stance on these primary concerns. There may be other issues, which we are happy to address, but for now we wanted to dispel any remaining confusion or misinterpretation.

1. Organizational Chart
The MAEP coordinator reports to the Assistant Director for Exhibitions and Programs. This arrangement is due to the unique nature of MAEP since (1) exhibitions are selected by an outside artist panel and not by museum staff, (2) the coordinator does not research and propose objects for acquisition, and (3) there is no collection to care for, publish, and catalogue—all primary duties of curators. Nevertheless, the museum values MAEP as a curatorial department, and the coordinator is employed by the museum at a rank equal to that of a curator. Curatorial departments are indicated on the organizational chart in blue type.

2. The Artist Panel
A panel of seven artists elected by the Minnesota’s artist community selects MAEP exhibitions. This unique arrangement ensures that MAEP exhibitions are community driven.

3. Exhibition Space
Artists selected by the panel currently exhibit their works at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in galleries 264 and 265. There are no plans to change the location or scale of the MAEP galleries.

4. MAEP Exhibitions
MAEP presents five exhibitions annually. There are no plans to change the frequency or duration of MAEP exhibitions.

5. MAEP Coordinator
The MIA values and respects the state’s vibrant community of artists. We welcome recommendations and input about candidates for the position of MAEP coordinator. As an MIA employee, the MAEP coordinator is hired, evaluated and compensated in accordance with policies and procedures that govern all museum employees.