The Craft Show has successfully come and gone; many of Academy Art Museum’s 60th Anniversary events have taken place; the fall exhibitions have been planned and ready for display, and its capital campaign is near completion; so you’d think it would be the best time for AAM director Ben Simons to take a break from it all and find a sunny beach somewhere.
That turns out to be the wrong conclusion when the Spy started our first periodic check-in with Ben a few weeks ago. Still very much engaged in documenting the remarkable history of the Academy since 1958, completing a highly demanding national re-accreditation process for the institution, and leading a long-term strategic planning process for this rapidly growing museum and art school, his workdays are very much spoken for in the near term.
In the first of our periodic chats with Director Simons, the Spy talks in this installment about the remarkable history of the AAM, the grueling but highly rewarding success of being re-accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and pushing hard for the four primary objectives of the Academy’s capital fund drive.
This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about the Academy Art Museum please go here
Sarah Porter says
Excellent, informative interview about the history of the museum and where it is headed. When I bring out-of-town “big city” friends to AAM, they are amazed !! The 60th birthday party was a very refreshing event in that it was so community and family oriented, and the craft show was beautifully set up with a great variety of artisans featured.