The Met to Host Fourth Global Museum Leaders Colloquium in April

Participating Museum Directors Announced

(New York, February 23, 2018)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host the fourth Global Museum Leaders Colloquium (GMLC) from April 16 to 25, 2018. This year’s colloquium will bring together 13 museum directors from around the world for an international dialogue about museum management. The last GMLC took place in 2016.

“Museums continue to grow and proliferate around the world, and face unprecedented opportunities and challenges,” said Daniel H. Weiss, President and CEO of The Met. “We can all benefit from sharing experiences and best approaches to stewarding institutions, and from building connections across the field and around the globe. We look forward to spending time with this accomplished group of museum leaders and to thinking together about the work and innovations in our field.”

The 2018 GMLC participants include directors of national, municipal, and private collecting institutions of varied focus and size. Together, these institutions hold over two million objects in their collections and attract more than seven million visitors annually. France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iraq, Jordan, and Senegal are new to the GMLC international network, which, with this year’s participants, consists of 54 museum leaders from 42 countries.

The 2018 GMLC participants, listed by country, are:

• AUSTRALIA, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (Sydney) | Ms. Dolla Merrillees, Director & CEO 
• BRAZIL, Pinacoteca de São Paulo | Mr. Jochen Volz, General Director
• COLOMBIA, Medellín Museum of Modern Art | Ms. María Mercedes González, General Director
• FRANCE, Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris) | Mr. Olivier Gabet, Director
• GERMANY, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden | Professor Dr. Marion Ackermann, Director General
• HONG KONG, M+ | Ms. Suhanya Raffel, Executive Director
• INDIA, Indian Museum (Kolkata) | Mr. Rajesh Purohit, Director
• IRAQ, Slemani Museum (Sulaymaniyah) | Mr. Hashim Hama Abdullah, Director
• JORDAN, The Jordan Museum (Amman) | Mr. Ihab Amarin, Director General 
• LEBANON, National Museum of Beirut | Mrs. Anne-Marie Maïla Afeiche, Director
• MEXICO, Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City) | Dr. Antonio Saborit, Director 
• RUSSIA, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow) | Mr. Anton Belov, Director 
• SENEGAL, Théodore Monod Museum of African Art (Dakar) | Dr. El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, Curator

Although they have different titles, all of the participants are responsible for the administration of their respective institutions.

“The GMLC is predicated on the belief that although each institution’s situation is unique, the problems museums deal with are strikingly similar,” said András Szántó, a museum analyst and writer on arts institutions and the colloquium’s moderator. “In today’s accelerated world, there are few occasions to step back from the day-to-day pressures of museum management. The GMLC and its international network offers precisely this opportunity for exchange and insight."

Over the course of 11 days, the GMLC provides a 360-degree view of current museum practices worldwide, placing a strong emphasis on institutional leadership and strategic problem-solving. A significant portion of the program is reserved for open dialogue among the invited directors, who present case studies on their institutions and meet in group workshops to address timely issues confronting museums and propose new models for collaboration. GMLC participants work with experts from departments across The Met, leading to lasting relationships with institutions around the world. The group also visits cultural institutions around New York City.

The Global Museum Leaders Colloquium (GMLC) is made possible by Gilbert and Ildiko Butler.

Major support is provided by Jan and Marica Vilcek.

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