On March 13, 2010, the New Museum hosted a daylong symposium on the past, present, and future of the cooperation between private collectors and public institutions. The first panel focused on the importance of public/private partnerships to the rise and development of the American art museum, looking at the history of patronage in America, the proliferation of institutions during America’s first Gilded Age, and how this set the stage for cultural dynamics in this century. Panelists included Inge Reist, Sally Webster, Linda Nochlin, and Andrew McClellan, with moderator Richard Flood, Chief Curator at the New Museum.

The second panel discussed new models of public/private partnerships currently being implemented or contemplated, and considered changing conditions in the cultural landscape and the need for museums to find innovative solutions to meet the challenges of a new century. Panelists include Tom Eccles, Iwona Blazwick, and Francesco Bonami, with moderator Lisa Phillips, Toby Devan Lewis Director at the New Museum.