(Courtesy Collection OAS AMA, Art Museum of the Americas/ ) - Rogelio Polesello (Argentina, b.1939), ‘Naranja sobre Magenta (Orange on Magenta),’ 1961 oil on canvas.
Since then, the Art Museum of the Americas has found itself in a bit of a conundrum. Although the OAS doesn’t provide funding for exhibits, the group has exerted more control over programming.
The head of the museum is Andres Navia, a former project manager for cultural projects at the OAS who ended up at the helm of the museum after a February restructuring.
“My role here, since my background is not in museums, is to integrate the museum and the cultural activities of the OAS into the agenda of the OAS and vice versa, connecting more the museum to development issues and social and political issues that are at the core of the agenda of the institution,” Navia said.
Although the onus of additional funding falls on the museum, an air of concern tends to surround the annual fundraiser, Art After Dark, which transforms the museum into a party space with drinks, art installations and live music.
“The [OAS’s] requirement of keeping an image of being very sober and low-profile and diplomacy-oriented makes it difficult to have fun activities oriented toward the young professional crowd, as other museums can,” Navia explained.
Navia is doing what he can with the limited resources, including planning exhibitions farther in advance; partnering with other organizations, such as Washington Project for the Arts and the Hirshhorn Museum; and seeking out private funds to build a simple addition that could provide state-of-the-art storage as well as exhibition space for the permanent collection. Greet, meanwhile, has been working on an archives documentation process, in association with the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, to scan key documents for researchers. That could help raise the profile of the once-renowned collection.
Of even greater urgency is finding a way for the museum, including staff salaries, to become self-sustaining. Although there have been no explicit threats of closure, there has been pressure to find outside money to fund operations. That could mean teaming up with another organization, university or museum.
“We need a partner to survive,” Navia said, adding that the museum undoubtedly has something of value to exchange. “We have a wonderful permanent collection, we have a wonderful location two blocks away from the White House, and the Latin American and Latino communities are growing like crazy.”
Whether Navia can find that partner is a question that bears not only on the museum’s status as a hidden gem or well-known destination, but also perhaps on its existence.
“Constellations”
Through Sept. 23. Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St. NW. 202-458-6016. www.museum.oas.org. Free.
After 12 years at the Portrait Gallery, Frank and Anne Collins Goodyear are becoming co-directors of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Maine.
1368828015000
Swiss duo reinvigorates old artistic ideas in a show that is delightful, engaging and often moving.
1368824532000
The magnificent centerpiece to “Sculpture on the Wall” breaks through the Barnes’s fustiness.
1368823195000
If the Smithsonian doesn’t move forward with the Bubble, creative stagnation will be business as usual.
1368822963000
South Carolina artist James Busby uses deep texture and grooves in his paintings on panels.
1368747336000First major U.S. survey of avant-garde English art movement closes at the National Gallery of Art.
1368720412000At Flashpoint Gallery, an exhibition of photography and film projection.
1368720197000
Twice-delayed Mall project would lose money in all 3 scenarios examined in study.
1368581280000
A handful of museums are waiving admission on Saturday.
1368554348000
Artists showed varying degrees of political sentiment in the time of the Nazi Party.
1368209400000
The National Gallery of Art’s “Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes” looks at the stages in a storied life.
1368208440000
The company created something brand-new and made it wildly popular throughout European society.
1368208200000
38 costumes show that the Ballets Russes’ fashions were as essential to myth as the choreography or scores.
1368208131000The Post Most: EntertainmentMost-viewed stories,videos, and galleries in the past two hours
Going Out Guide
Movies
Best Bets
Recently Reviewed Restaurants
Loading...
Comments