December 4, 2014

On Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13, Drexel will host a major conference discussing the meanings of ownership, stewardship, and responsibility for cultural artifacts. In association with the Museum Leadership graduate program, the conference was organized by Distinguished Visiting Professor Derek Gillman as part of the University's commitment to cultural debate.

The range of approaches to the ownership and stewardship of cultural properties is a highly discussed topic, varying widely between countries, cultural institutions, and common and civil law traditions. A key purpose in bringing together experts from around the country and the world is to discuss the meaning and usage of these words, to identify areas of common ground and to better understand the nature of the differences.

Panels will delve into a diverse range of topics, including native art, museological issues, issues of public versus private, the preservation of religious and heritage artifacts, the shape of the law, collective rights and more. Among the twenty panelists are legal philosophers, architects, the media, critics, private collectors, and representatives of collecting institutions.

On Saturday, December 13, Timothy Rub, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dan Rahimi, Executive Director of Galleries at the University of Pennsylvania Museum and Nancy Odegaard, Head of the Preservation Division at the Arizona State Museum will be joined by Museum Leadership Program Director Dr. Danielle Rice, and Museum Leadership Professor Dennis Wint, for a panel on “Collecting Institutions.” Dr Rice will discuss deaccessioning practices and Professor Wint will discuss science museums and their responsibilities. Architecture Professor Jon Coddington will discuss architecture and cultural properties and the case for renovations on a panel entitled “Forms of Cultural Property,” joined by Manuelito Wheeler, Director of the Navaho Nation Museum in Arizona and Shelby Tisdale, Vice President of Curatorial and Exhibitions at the Aurty Center of the American West, LA, among others.

Click here for a full listing of conference panelists and events and to register. The conference is generously co-sponsored by the Art-Law Centre at the University of Geneva. Click here to learn more about our Museum Leadership Master of Science program.