Lectures from the Allen Room & Wertheim Study: Is there a Future for Museum Ethics?

In 1925 the American Association of Museums, the largest professional organization for museums in the US, adopted a “Code of Ethics for Museum Workers.” Since then the professional code has been rewritten and revised twice (most recently in 1991/2000) and now all museums that wish to be accredited must create and follow their own codes. Yet many museums have recently been in the public eye for what is perceived to be questionable or even unethical behavior. The Delaware Art Museum was recently censured for deaccessioning works of art from its collections in order to offset its financial difficulties. Brandeis University considered closing its Rose Art Museum and selling the collections. The Morris-Jumel Mansion in New York City found a valuable document relating to the Continental Congress in its attic and sold it at auction to repair the house. Is this something new or is it inevitable given the changes in the economy and philanthropy, not to mention technology and the social media? Are the ethical standards to which museums have long subscribed changing as a result? 

A forecasting exercise conducted by the Center for the Future of Museums of the American Alliance of Museums and the Institute of Museum Ethics at Seton Hall University identified five major areas likely to raise challenges to museum ethics over the next ten to twenty-five years. They include: accessibility and diversity; conflict of interest; control of content; collecting and deaccessioning; and transparency and accountability in governance, operations, and finance. Each of these issues is a snapshot of the trials that museums and other cultural organizations are facing now and will face in future years.

Sally Yerkovich, a writer in residence in the Allen Room, is Director of the Institute of Museum Ethics at Seton Hall University and lecturer on Ethical and Legal Issues in Museums as well as how museums relate to their communities. Former President and CEO of The New Jersey Historical Society and the first President of the 9/11 Tribute Center in lower Manhattan, she is an anthropologist and museum professional and has held leadership positions at the Museum for African Art, South Street Seaport Museum, Museum of the City of New York, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She currently serves on the Ethics Committee of the International Council of Museums.