CIMAM's new Board takes over the working groups!

Sustainability, governance, best practices, learning, exchange and cooperation, and support for curatorial and professional development are some of the subjects in which CIMAM wants to take a leadership role in the international museum landscape through the projects developed by the Board throughout the three years of mandate in the different working groups.

CIMAM is the international committee for museums, collections, and professionals of modern and contemporary art, managed on a voluntary basis by a Board of 15 museum professionals from around the world, who work to ensure that the contribution of these institutions to the cultural, social and economic well-being of society is recognized and respected.

This mission is carried out through the projects developed in the different working groups in which the Board members participate to respond to the real and current concerns and changing needs of modern and contemporary art museum professionals. With the different proposals presented in these working groups, CIMAM aims to assume a leadership role on issues of interest, contribute to the sustainability of the sector, and foster cooperation between art institutions that will drive the sector's growth.

Beginning in 2023, and for the next three years, each CIMAM Board member will contribute to practical and strategic working groups that ensure global participation and perspective, recognize visionary practices, and address some of the most pressing challenges facing modern and contemporary museums today.

You can contact the CIMAM Board and the Executive Office at any time for sharing suggestions or queries you may have through the Members Only directory, or by emailing members@cimam.org. We will be happy to hear from you!

Sustainability and Ecology in Museum Practice

CIMAM is committed to addressing environmental issues. This program was launched in November 2019 to respond to the current climate emergency. It works in collaboration with ICOM, the experience of CIMAM members, and other experts and sources from the field to identify and put together a set of best practice guidelines, share and promote the tools to address the following questions and develop them collectively with CIMAM members: How can museums respond to the climate emergency?

The 2023-25 Sustainability and Ecology in Museum Practice working group consists of CIMAM Board members: Suzanne Cotter (Chair), Malgorzata Ludwisiak, Clara M. Kim, Kitty Scott, Leevi Happala, and Joselina Cruz.

We will publish soon the outcomes of the survey How Modern and Contemporary Art Museums are Acting to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?

Outstanding Museum Practices Award

The OMPA program calls on modern and contemporary art museums to share examples of innovative solutions and inspiring practices that are being implemented due to the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic. In making this call, CIMAM highlights the urgency and benefit of sharing best practices generating exchange and debate on museums' role in our rapidly evolving present.

The 2023-25 CIMAM Outstanding Museum Practices Award steering committee consists of CIMAM Board members: Suzanne Cotter (Chair), Yu Jin Seng, Joselina Cruz, Leevi Haapala, Chus Martinez, and Kamini Sawhney.

Did you know the three recipients of the OMPA 2022 edition? Learn more about them!

Museum Watch Program

Initiated in 2012, the Museum Watch Program serves as an advocacy program that aims to assist modern and contemporary art museum professionals in dealing with critical situations that undermine their ability to undertake their professional practice and affect a museum’s ability to operate to international standards of best practice. The Museum Watch Committee meets on Fridays for 30 minutes regularly. An online form is available to anyone wishing to reach the MW.

The 2023-25 Museum Watch Committee consists of CIMAM Board members: Bart de Baere (Chair 2023), Malgorzata Ludwisiak, Victoria Noorthoorn, Agustin Perez Rubio, Yu Jin Seng, and Zeina Arida.

Here you can read about the Museum Watch's past public actions.

Annual Conference Contents Committee

This group works together with the hosting institution to identify the conference topic and sub-subjects for each day. The Annual Conference aims to anticipate and discuss questions relating to the running and development of contemporary art museums and collections worldwide. The Annual Conference is CIMAM’s most important event and CIMAM’s most relevant contribution to the field. The first CIMAM Annual Conference took place in 1962 in The Hague. Since then the Committee has celebrated more than 50 conferences that have been held in over 30 different cities around the globe.

The 2023-25 Annual Conference Contents Committee consists of CIMAM Board members: Victoria Noorthoorn (Chair), Chus Martinez, Amanda de la Garza, and Clara M. Kim.

Don’t miss anything about CIMAM 2023 in Buenos Aires!

Travel Grant Program

CIMAM’s Travel Grant Program supports the curatorial and research development of individuals through their attendance at the Annual Conference. This working group aims to secure funding for the program ensuring the geographical diversity of opportunities in underrepresented areas. Travel grant applications are evaluated and conferred by CIMAM’s Travel Grant Committee, and the travel grant funder.

The 2023-25 Travel Grant Program consists of CIMAM Board members: Agustin Perez Rubio (Chair), Clara M. Kim, Kitty Scott, Victoria Noorthoorn, Joselina Cruz, Amanda de la Garza, and Kamini Sawhney.

Check out the 2022 Travel Grant Funders and Beneficiaries.

Rapid Response Webinars

In May 2020 CIMAM took the new virtual scenario as an opportunity to launch a series of online activities addressed to our international community to reinforce the sense of connectivity through online meetings, in a peer-to-peer environment to share, learn, and be inspired by the experiences of other CIMAM professionals. Held every last Thursday of the month, Rapid Response Webinars are organized by Board members or CIMAM members who have submitted a webinar proposal, at different time zones and invited panelists.

CIMAM 2022 Rapid Response Webinars have been made possible with the support of the Getty Foundation through its Connecting Professionals/Sharing Expertise initiative.

Watch all CIMAM’s Rapid Response Webinars here.

CIMAM and ICOM – International Council of Museums

CIMAM’s strategic goal is to work closely with ICOM on key issues that concern museums globally, such as climate change, and ethics.

For the period 2023-25, the following Board members will be leading this initiative: Bart De Baere (Chair), Suhanya Raffel, and Zeina Arida.

Read about the Museum Watch Governance Management Project developed with INTERCOM.

Fundraising and Membership Programs

Fundraising is an ongoing task for all CIMAM Board members while promoting the mission of CIMAM by attracting new individual and institutional members. As a largely volunteer-driven organization and acting as a not-for-profit organization, CIMAM relies on the generous support of individuals and organizations to sustain its day-to-day operations.

Learn here the value of supporting CIMAM and the benefits in return for the different levels of support.

CIMAM’s Executive Office

Three professionals are dedicated to coordinating the different working groups, and to implementing and taking care of all CIMAM activities and programs, including our relationship with members, patrons, and partners, communication, social media, and press among others. We would like to be in contact with you! Please send us an email with any queries or proposals you may want to share with us.

Inés Jover
Director CIMAM Executive Office
inesjover[at]cimam.org

Susana Carnicero
CIMAM Administration and Production
conference[at]cimam.org

Mireia Azuara
CIMAM Press and Communication
communication[at]cimam.org