Indian Museum Director Spent Lavishly on Travel

Video

Smithsonian Funds Expensive Retirement Video

» LAUNCH VIDEO PLAYER

Four of West's most expensive Smithsonian-paid trips were to Venice. The only reason he gave for the first trip in 2003 was to "Attend Development Meeting in Venice." In the interview, West said the purpose was to prepare an entry for the Venice Biennale, an international art show. The $5,200 trip included $2,000 for four nights at the Hotel Londra Palace near St. Mark's Square.

West's travel voucher includes an explanation for the steep cost of the lodging: "Hotel reservation was lost due to hotel error. Traveler had to move to best available hotel, hence additional costs." West said the room provided him with a large enough space to hold a reception, thus saving him the cost of renting a banquet room.

West again traveled to Venice in 2005, leading a party of Indian Museum officials to the Biennale. The museum sponsored an exhibit at the show by Native American artist James A. Luna. In addition to picking up the $13,000 cost for West, the museum also paid $20,000 for at least three other museum officials, including board chairman Dwight Gourneau and his granddaughter. "We wanted one of our trustees to see what it was all about," West said.

Entering the show was part of the museum's strategic plan. "We got all kinds of important press," West said. "I think you actually get far more bang for your buck" from entering an international art show than from putting on a program at the Indian Museum on the Mall.

At least 10 of West's 26 Smithsonian-paid international trips were to attend meetings of the International Council of Museums, records show. The group, which is affiliated with UNESCO -- the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -- is headquartered in Paris and has members from 140 countries.

In February 2005, West went to an ICOM meeting in Paris, where he spent $580 on limousine service. The Smithsonian-paid $12,700 trip continued on to Bali and Jakarta, Indonesia, where West indicated he went for a Ford Foundation meeting, and then on to Singapore.

West said the purpose of the Jakarta meeting was to help the Indonesian Cultural Ministry find funding for arts programs from groups such as the Ford Foundation.

Last year, in a Post interview, West said he is considering buying land on Bali and would love to live there part of the time. "I love being in context, where it is culturally rich," West said. After that first trip to Bali, he began to travel more frequently to the region, particularly to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

In June 2005, West went to Canberra, Australia, as part of his four-nation journey that included stops in Athens, Singapore, and Lima and Cuzco, Peru. The reason cited for the latter trip, which cost the Smithsonian about $20,000, was "Speech or presentation: Travel to Athens and Singapore for meetings with ICOM chiefs, travel to Canberra, Australia, and Lima/Cuzco, Peru for speeches."

Officials with ICOM and the American Association of Museums said the groups do not reimburse for trips. "The institution is a membership association," said Alissandra Cummins, president of ICOM. "It is voluntary. The general rule is the members, when they are seeking election, the responsibility to attend the meetings is their responsibility."

Edward Able Jr., former president of AAM, said West was "in great demand by the international museums" on how to preserve and present the cultures of indigenous peoples.

An independent review committee, formed after Small resigned, recommended that top officials of the Smithsonian should get approval from the regents for "any outside activities, including service on any other professional service boards and teaching and lecturing obligations, weighing carefully the time commitments needed and the benefits to the Smithsonian." The committee also suggested that any compensation received "should not be kept by the individual, but should be turned over to the Smithsonian for the benefit of the Institution."