NEW YORK.- The Art Museum Partnership announced the creation of a new annual Directors Forum for leaders of art museums nationwide. Open to full-time directors of not-for-profit art museums and galleries, the inaugural conference will take place at a series of distinguished art-related settings in New York City on October 22-24, 2006. The 2006 Directors Forum will begin with an opening dinner at the historic National Arts Club, followed by two days of informative sessions at the American Folk Art Museum, Rubin Museum of Art and Dahesh Museum of Art. Participants will also enjoy a private luncheon at Christie’s in Rockefeller Center, an exclusive screening of the film “Who Gets to Call It Art?” from Palm Pictures, plus special evening receptions at the Charles Cowles Gallery and Michael Rosenfeld Gallery. Eminent guest speakers will explore a variety of timely subjects including disaster management, collaborations with consultants, and new audience development.

The purpose of the Art Museum Partnership and its programs is to identify and provide networking opportunities that facilitate the sharing of information, resources and collections among the leaders of nonprofit art institutions. These initiatives were established to primarily benefit the directors of small to medium-sized art museums that, while they make up the largest segment in the field, are not represented by any other dedicated professional organization. Leaders of large museums are encouraged to participate, since they may have challenges and issues in common and can benefit from the knowledge and experience of peers. John W. Nichols, director of the Art Museum Partnership commented, “We are delighted to launch an annual program created for and by art museum directors to address the concerns and interests of smaller institutions. The Directors Forum is the first Art Museum Partnership program and we expect to announce more initiatives in the near future.”

The keynote speaker at the opening dinner is Robert Workman, director of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which is being developed by the Walton Family Foundation on 100 forested acres in Bentonville, Arkansas. Workman is a thirty-year museum veteran with a comprehensive background in all aspects of museum administration. Before joining the Crystal Bridges project, he was deputy director of the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. During his eight-year tenure there, he led the museum’s $39 million renovation and expansion project. Workman also has extensive traveling exhibition experience, including the American Federation of Arts, in New York City as the director of exhibitions. In addition to Mr. Nichols, members of the 2006 Directors Forum Advisory Board are: Katherine B. Crum, independent curator, New York, NY; Laura Gorham, Director, Bermuda National Gallery, Hamilton, Bermuda; Kevin Grogan, Director, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA; Bruce Katsiff , Director, The James A. Michener Museum, Doylestown and New Hope, PA; Joseph T. Ruzicka, Director, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD; Geri Thomas, President, Thomas & Associates, Inc., New York, NY; Susan Visser, Director, South Bend Regional Museum of Art, South Bend, IN.

To participate in the Directors Forum, individuals must be full-time, paid professional directors of nonprofit art museums or galleries that are open to the public on a regular schedule. Registration fee is $295, which includes all sessions, receptions and selected meals. For a preliminary program, registration form and additional information, visit the Art Museum Partnership at: www.ArtMuseumPartnership.org.