MISSION
			MISSION LETTER TO THE BOARD RESOLUTION MISSION The Nuestro Museo Action Committee is a network of concerned community residents, educators, artist, academics, community based agencies and art historians committed to the rededication of the Museo de Barrio to the Puerto Rican community and its original mission. To achieve this goal we seek the development of and implementation of coordinated advocacy, educational, media and legal campaigns. Structure Independent work groups with identified variety of tasks to achieve the goal. Work groups: Legal, Community Board Media, Artist, Think Tank, and Manifesto Network coordinator/Core committee (TBD) Objectives • Explore the legal aspects of artist trust and manipulation of the mission statement • Reconfiguration of the current Board of Trustees to increase community representation • Develop position papers. • Initiate media campaign to increase community awareness and support • Link activities to Puerto Rico and other PR agencies in the US LETTER TO THE BOARD To: The Chairperson of the Board of Directors and El Museo del Barrio Executive Board NUESTRO MUSEO ACTION COMMITTEE November 26 2002 Dear Board Member, On September 26, 2002, the Cultural Affairs Committee of Community Board 11 organized a Town Hall Meeting with representatives of El Museo del Barrio. To ensure that the recommendations and concerns voiced at the Town Hall Meeting will continue to get a fair hearing, a group of East Harlem/El Barrio residents and other stakeholders in El Barrio’s cultural development have formed a city-wide coalition: Nuestro Museo Action Committee. A salient issue raised at the Town Hall Meeting was the importance of obtaining community representation in El Museo del Barrio’s Board of Directors. We are very encouraged to hear that representatives from El Museo del Barrio, including the President, Mr. Tony Bechara, agreed that the Board should consider adding new members. In order to facilitate this process, Nuestro Museo Action Committee has drafted a proposed resolution to increase membership on the board of by 30%, and that we would like you to introduce and pass during your next board meeting scheduled for November 26th 2002. We will also be forwarding to you our candidates for board membership. We look forward to achieving a constructive working relationship with you request that you inform us of the board’s decision on November 26th by contacting Mr. Eric Canales at 212-822-7282. Sincerely, Nuestro Museo Action Committee (Back to top) RESOLUTION We submit to you the following for immediately review and approval: WHEREAS Article III, Section 2 (a) of the by-laws of El Museo del Barrio provides for a board of as many as thirty-five Trustees; WHEREAS there are now only twenty-one Trustees on the Board of Trustees of El Museo del Barrio; WHEREAS El Museo del Barrio is anticipating continued growth, change and opportunity; WHEREAS the Board of Trustees believes that a larger Board will better equip it to face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead; and WHEREAS the Board of Trustees wishes to reaffirm and strengthen its commitment and ties to the community of Puerto Rican educators, artists and activists who founded El Museo del Barrio in 1969: NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The Board of Trustees of El Museo del Barrio will elect nine new trustees or as many as may be necessary to ensure that thirty percent of the Board is made up of individuals who live or work in East Harlem; and/or have significant experience with Puerto Rican and Latino communities or grassroots organizations. The expansion of the Board of trustees by the addition of 30 % of the existing number of board members as a new category to the by-laws will ensure permanent community representation on the board of Trustee of El Museo del Barrio. This is to be voted on immediately and implemented within the next six months. The new resolution is specifically intended to ensure the representation of segments of the Puerto Rican community otherwise excluded from the decision making of El Museo del Barrio. These groups include working class and people from all segments of our community, as well as artists, East Harlem residents, community activist and individuals from various educational, professional and political backgrounds throughout New York City. Most importantly, individuals selected to participate on the Board, must protect the original intention and mission of the El Museo del Barrio. This should be amended to the by-laws as a condition and criteria for membership on the Board and must apply equally to current and future representatives regardless of ethnic or economic background or type of institution or entity they represent. The resolution will further stipulate that individual members of the Board of Trustee are responsible for ensuring the preservation of cultural material, on-going historical documentation, scholarly interpretation and public access to the art, artifacts and objects representing the Puerto Rican experience. The Board must immediately create a committee to develop a collection policy that will specifically define what is collected and preserved. The committee must include anthropologists, sociologists, art historians, writers, educators and artists to review and establish a relevant policy, which specifically deals with the art and cultural material of the Puerto Rican people. This policy is intended to ensure that the appropriate materials are collected and consistent with the original mission of the Museum. It is also necessary to ensure that all future acquisitions to the permanent collection are protected and preserved. (Back to top)