Werbel
5.3 Many campus administrators recognize the expertise of museum staff, and stay out of decision-making regarding what art can be exhibited. Overall, in good news, research participants indicated a generally robust sense that campus arts professionals have the freedom to decide what art can be exhibited, as indicated in answers to Question Thirty-Three: Which of these phrases best describes the degree of freedom of artistic expression currently enjoyed by curators and jury members (internal and external) in selecting works of art to exhibit on campus? (N=77)
4% 33%
Significant limitations Freedom with rare limitations Complete freedom
63%
Question Thirty-Three Six interview subjects described what it felt like to curate with “complete freedom:” The museum has been blessed to have supportive administrators who let us take those risks that other museums can’t take, and to foster generative communities and whole communities. Our success and being able to be free thinkers and free displayers and free arbiters of our experiences, is wholly supported by the administration. This is what they try to impart upon the students as well.
I was told by my supervisor that the director, he didn’t want to be saying yes or no to exhibition ideas. That’s why they hired me was they had faith in my knowledge of art, my years within the field, and so forth.
I think we’ve always been an institution of, ask for forgiveness instead of permission. We’ve been empowered by the past two presidents to take on that attitude or that perspective and that practice.
31
