The CIMAM 2022 Annual Report is now available
CIMAM's outgoing and incoming Board of Directors and the Executive Office are proud to share some historical results in CIMAM's 60-year history.
Key figures:
741 members → 17% increase
71% women → 29% men
84 countries → represented among CIMAM's members
9,872 followers → 49% more followers on social networks and newsletter subscribers than in 2021
These are the results of the actions carried out in 2022 and represent the end of a sled led by President Mami Kataoka and an international team of 14 professionals who have rowed together to position CIMAM as the reference committee for modern and contemporary art museum and collections professionals.
The projects carried out for the professional community through the different CIMAM Working Groups focus on topics such as governance, best practices, sustainability, promotion of emerging professionals, and creating physical and virtual spaces for dialogue and knowledge exchange.
We look forward to 2023 with the leadership of our new President, Suhanya Raffel, who, with new Board members, will continue to light the way in addressing issues affecting modern and contemporary art museum professionals.
Letter from Suhanya Raffel, President of CIMAM
It is my great pleasure to write this message as the new President of CIMAM for the current three-year term (2023–25), a position to which I was elected by the members of the Board this past November at the end of the CIMAM Annual Conference in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
I am honored and excited to work with my fellow Board members to contribute to our modern and contemporary art museum community as we face complex times. During the last year, so many projects have served as reminders of the important challenges that the contemporary art museum sector is encountering today, as well as the significant role that CIMAM has as a collective force to bring together professionals from around the world and contribute with insight to ensuring positive futures for our institutions and professional colleagues. In 2022, we celebrated a milestone for our organization, the 60th anniversary of CIMAM founded in 1962. When we look back at the history of CIMAM, we see how the changes that CIMAM has undergone reflect the evolution of the museum's needs over these last six decades. Changing slowly but firmly from a European-American-centered view to a more global, inclusive, and diverse community of museums.
Fortunately, today we can talk of a post-pandemic time, however, many museums are still struggling with the consequences of long and strict restrictions, and budget cuts resulting in staffing and governance challenges. During these two difficult years, three crucial issues emerged that urgently needed to be addressed: sustainability, governance, and diversity.
On sustainability, CIMAM launched in 2022 a survey to assess the commitment of the international museum community to achieving some of the SDGs of the UN Agenda 2030. In 2023, we will release the results of this study, while continue encouraging change by sharing the resources to inspire and help museums to move forward in achieving the 2030 UN Agenda’s goals. One of the immediate actions is to keep updating the CIMAM Toolkit for Environmental Sustainability in Museum Practice.
In terms of governance, the extraordinary work of the Museum Watch committee continues to assist modern and contemporary art museum professionals in critical situations that undermine their ability to conduct their professional practice to continue international standards of good practice is noteworthy. In 2022, INTERCOM and CIMAM launched the Museum Watch Governance Management Project as a special ICOM initiative to help the museum community address management challenges more effectively. And as a result of this project, CIMAM released A set of Governance Clauses for Museum Ethics to protect and support museums and their staff. To continue strengthening our relationship with ICOM through practical projects of common interest will continue to be one of our goals in 2023.
The critical adjustments made to the CIMAM's membership fee structures further promote inclusiveness among the international community of museum professionals so that everyone can join CIMAM. Regarding diversity, the representation of 84 countries among our members, and myself as the sixth woman to chair CIMAM, represents a symbolic change that is emblematic of our collective CIMAM values.
CIMAM has become in the last years a truly global organization with more than 700 affiliated professionals – a record number of members. Diversity is today a cornerstone for modern and contemporary art museums. Museums remind us who we are through our collections and increasingly through the cultures we promote in our museums. Despite the progress done, there is still a long way to go. Listening, incorporating different voices into the debates, and giving visibility to the diversity of professionals from underrepresented regions, especially from Africa, is one of CIMAM’s strategic goals for this three-year term.
As we start a new membership term, I would like to thank our esteemed colleagues, our members of CIMAM, for their continued affiliation and active involvement with CIMAM’s programs, and for bringing their expertise to this global professional community.
I conclude this letter to express, on behalf of the entire CIMAM Board, my sincere gratitude to our driving force: our Major Patrons, Founding Patrons, Patrons, and Supporters, as well as our in-kind e-card partner, for their loyal and crucial support to CIMAM.
Thank you! Warm regards,
Suhanya Raffel
President of CIMAM 2023-25
Director, M+, Hong Kong