The Montgomery City Council agreed on Tuesday to a new governing agreement with the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), after controversy earlier this year revealed a rift between the MMFA leadership and Mayor Steven Reed's office.
The Council agreed two weeks ago to delay voting on the proposed measure, citing a need for further negotiations.
Two boards of trustees govern the MMFA: one is appointed by the city council, and the other is made up of those appointed and elected by the MMFA Association. Bill Ford, the president of the board of trustees, sits on both.
The rift between the city and MMFA boards involves accusations from the boards and other staff that, since the election of Mayor Steven Reed, his office has exerted unlawful and unilateral control of the MMFA.
The resolution approved by the city council on Tuesday was not immediately available. However, it clarifies the roles of the city and association boards to reduce any real or imagined ambiguity with the governance and authority of the museum, its collection and its property.
"The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is excited to share that the Association and the City of Montgomery, our long-time and generous Museum partner, have reached an agreement related to governance and operations of the Museum," Ford said in a statement. "The resolution passed tonight by the Montgomery City Council is the culmination of more than a year's effort by the Association and the City to address critical Museum matters and reflects the abundant contributions to the Museum from the Association and the City."
"For almost a century, Montgomery has shown itself to be a City with bold support for the visual arts. Her citizens, especially Carolyn and Red Blount, have given property and art that are simply dazzling. The Association appreciates everyone's continued support of the Museum and we look forward to seeing you at MMFA."
1819 News' reporting revealed the ongoing rift between MMFA leadership and Reed.
On January 28, 1819 News reported that billboards with the "Make America Great Again" slogan had been spotted in the area. The slogan was over a famous picture of Alabama state troopers confronting civil rights marchers during the Selma to Montgomery march.
Reed swiftly released a statement, claiming he requested the billboards be removed after learning the MMFA had purchased them.
The joint boards responded with a lengthy statement, revealing ongoing tensions between the MMFA boards and the mayor's office for two years.
In the statement, the boards claim to have had no issues with the ongoing public-private partnership, which has been effective for decades. However, they state that only recently has "the Mayor's Office effectively exerted control over the operation of the museum without meaningful board consultation."
"Historically, the Museum has been under the administration of a joint board, comprised of the City Board, appointed by the Montgomery City Council, and the private MMFA Association Board," the statement read. "On February 4, the two boards met jointly and concluded that the time has come to acknowledge publicly a conflict between them and the Mayor's Office over the administration of the Museum that has existed for two years now. In February 2023, City officials placed the museum director on administrative leave without consulting the boards. Since then, the Mayor's Office has effectively exerted control over the operation of the museum without meaningful board consultation."
The City eventually responded to the boards' claims, which were filled with falsehoods and misrepresentations.
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