International Partnerships Among Museums                              History of the Program

The International Partnerships Among Museums (IPAM) program began in 1980 to provide U.S. and non-U.S. museums with a unique opportunity to establish lasting institutional ties through project-based exchanges.

An earlier program, the Foreign Museum Professionals Project, administered by the American Association of Museums, was the precursor to the current IPAM program. From 1973 to 1977, this program was funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. An additional session took place in 1979, this time under the auspices of the U.S. International Communication Agency (ICA), for a period of four years the name given the U.S. Information Agency (USIA). Each cycle of this program sponsored a group of approximately 20 international museum professionals to travel together throughout the U.S. for a one-month period, visiting museums and meeting American colleagues. This brief exposure to many types of institutions and their staffs was designed to provide the visitors with an introduction to American museums and their methods of working.

Many of the visitors and their American counterparts, however, expressed an interest in a program that would make available the opportunity for substantive exchange and the time to learn more about the institutions and the people who staff them.

In 1980, in response to this need, AAM designed a pilot project to encourage integration and collaboration between museums in the U.S. and their counterparts in other countries. This program was funded by the National Museum Act of the Smithsonian Institution. This new program stressed institutional involvement, in-depth experience of another country for both participants, and reciprocity, thus differing from the International Visitor Programs of the United States Information Agency and AAM's previous international program. This program also differed from previous USIA programs because the participants and their institutions were chosen competitively. U.S. and non-U.S. museums applied separately to the AAM office and were selected and matched by a selection committee. This process continued with little change until the 1991-93 IPAM cycle.

During an evaluation of the program, conducted in the summer of 1990, successful partnerships were defined as those that exhibited a continued link subsequent to the actual exchange period. More importantly, it was noted that the most successful partnerships were those based on a pre-determined project, undertaken by institutions with a similar mission, and carried out by comparably positioned staff members. In addition, exchanges tended to produce more substantive results and to continue after the initial travel had taken place if participants had the opportunity to choose their own museum partners (the pairing had previously been carried out by the selection committee).

Consequently, the application process was restructured so museums could link themselves while addressing these criteria. As a result, a two-phase application process was developed. In Phase I, U.S. institutions submit short applications to AAM detailing their mission, collections, and some possible IPAM project ideas. Non-U.S. Phase I applicants are nominated by participating U.S. embassy/consulate officers, and submit a similar application. Upon receipt of both sets of applications, AAM compiles them into books and, along with instructions for Phase II, sends all the non-U.S. Phase I applications to all the U.S. Phase I museums and all the U.S. Phase I museum applications to all the participating U.S. embassies/consulates to share with their nominees.

During Phase II, U.S. museums take the lead in contacting possible partner institutions in other countries. Once museums determine that they would both benefit through an IPAM partnership, they work together to develop a joint or complementary project proposal for submission with their Phase II final application. During this process, U.S. embassy/consulate officers help with communications, interpretation, and the adherence to deadlines.

This revised system, which allows for self-matching, requires that U.S. embassies/consulates be more integrally involved in the IPAM application process. The U.S. embassy/consulate officers for IPAM complete a section of their nominees' Phase I application form that asks for detailed communications information. This allowed U.S. museums to easily contact potential partners all over the world. In Phase II, officers submit a statement with each completed application. This statement identifies the place and importance of the applicant institution in the host country society, articulates the museum's mission and goals, and discusses the importance of the proposed linkage to bilateral relations between the United States and the host country. The input and participation of the U.S. embassies/consulates at the application stage of the competition also results in a smoother running of the actual exchanges.

In October of 1999, USIA was absorbed into the U.S. Department of State. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs retained its public diplomacy mission, and the IPAM program continued to receive support.

Since 1984, the IPAM program has also benefited from the receipt of funding from private sector sources. These funds have been earmarked for partnerships in parts of the world or on topics in which the funder has an interest. Private-sector funders who have supported the IPAM program include the: AT&T Foundation; Florence Gould Foundation; J. Paul Getty Grant Program; Lampadia Foundation; Netherlands-American Amity Trust; Rockefeller Foundation; Samuel H. Kress Foundation; and the Trust for Mutual Understanding.