13 January 2015
Challenges of Museums in Contemporary Society Lecture at Bahrain National Museum
As part of pioneering role to enhance the cultural scene in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Mr. Michael Conforti, Director of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA, will deliver a presentation entitled “Challenges of Museums in Contemporary Society,” and will be joined by Mrs. Anne-Christine Robert-Hauglustaine, Director General of the International Council of Museums, and Mr. Bernard Fonquernie, General Inspector of Monuments and Sites in France.
Mr. Conforti will speak to the changing demographics, the role of digital technologies and cultural exchange and their impact on art institutions and collections around the world. He also participated with an international group of distinguished scholars gathered at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to evaluate the achievements of museums as evolving social and aesthetic institutions, exploring the potential of new social and cultural roles for museums around the world.
Since Mr. Conforti joined the Clark as its director in 1994, the Institute has put new emphasis on its dual mission as both an art museum and a center for research and higher education. He has led the Clark in establishing a worldwide reputation as an international forum for the generation, discussion, and dissemination of ideas surrounding art and visual culture through the development of the Clark’s Research and Academic Program, as well as through its special exhibition program, its cultural exchange initiatives, and its engagement with contemporary art and artists.
Mr. Conforti serves on the trustee executive committee of the Amon Carter Museum, and he is also a trustee of MASS MoCA. A member of the Hermitage International Advisory Committee, he is a former trustee of ICOM US (International Council on Museums) and was on the CIHA (Comité international d'histoire de l'art) National Committee for the History of Art (2000–12). In June 2010, he stepped down from a two-year term as president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, where he has also served as a trustee (2001–04, 2007–12).
The Clark Art Institute was founded in 1955, and re-opened in July of 2014 with a new building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The Clark is one of a handful of institutions in the world with a dual mission an art museum and a center for research and higher education in the visual arts.
