Proposals

Exhibition & Programming Requirements

AMA | Art Museum of the Americas of the OAS welcomes external proposals for exhibitions as well as educational and cultural outreach programming. This page outlines the requirements and procedures for presenting proposals to the museum for use within our various spaces. All programming must be in line with museum standards as well as combining values from the OAS mission and museum's mission. In short, all programming must feature or relate modern and contemporary art of emerging or established artists of the Americas with content that highlights OAS themes such as democracy, development, human rights, justice, freedom of expression, and innovation. Exhibitions incorporating the museum's collection must still illuminate these OAS themes, as well. All programming requires outside funding sources through sponsorships and donations. Once received, proposals go through our exhibition and programming approval mechanism to evaluate their potential, adherence to the mission, and that they meet our museum's production quality standards.

Questions about the process and finalized proposals should be completed as described below and submitted to artmus@oas.org.

Exhibitions

In general, we solidify exhibitions in the museum two years in advance. When crafting proposals for museum exhibitions, this timeline should be taken into account. Our six galleries provide a total of approximately 3,000 square feet of exhibition space. Exhibitions either occupy both floors of the museum or a single floor - the first floor is three galleries and second floor is also three galleries. Proposals, which are reviewed by an evaluation committee, should include committed sponsors and donors. Please download our proposal submission guidelines by right clicking on the link and pressing "save link as": English form.

Submit completed proposals to artmus@oas.org

Guidelines for Artwork Donation Proposals to AMA

AMA’s advisory committee reviews all donations proposals prior to any accessioning to AMA’s permanent collection. All artwork donation proposals should reflect AMA’s mission statement and make reference to the requirements listed below: For additional information, please contact artmus@oas.org.

Our Mission: AMA’s work is based on the principle that the arts are transformative for individuals and communities.  This serves to promote the core values of the Organization of American States (OAS) by providing a space for cultural expression, creativity, dialogue and learning, highlighting themes such as democracy, development, human rights, justice, freedom of expression, and innovation.  AMA’s work advances the inter-American agenda, drawing on the arts to showcase a constructive vision of the future via local and hemispheric cultural exchange.  This is achieved by showcasing cutting-edge exhibits of artists whose output creatively combine aesthetics with topical social and political issues.

  1. Proposals should explain the social, political, historical or artistic events, movements or theories that inspired the artwork, including theoretical references. 
  2. Explain why the piece is relevant to the OAS and AMA’s mission.  Relate to the history of AMA and describe the benefit the Organization and AMA will gain from the donation.
  3. Enclose bio of the artist including places where he has exhibited and institutions that have his works.
  4. Describe the work to be donated, include images and state whether the work is newly commissioned, technique, size, and any special exhibit or storage requirements.
  5. Enclose a formal appraisal of the art work by an accredited professional.
  6. If the donation is a sculpture, please provide detailed information on its technique, type of stone, casting material, metal alloys, etc. and conservation requirements for the Washington DC weather.
  7. Due to the lack of conservation and restoration funds for sculptures, pieces that are not made of materials resistant to corrosion or that require occasional re-painting and maintenance, are unlikely to be approved.
  8. If the piece is for an outdoor location, it may require the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts in the US depending on the size and location of the object.
  9. Provide a time-line for fundraising, production time (if any), shipping, donation ceremony.
  10. Mention any partner, corporate or institutional, who might help to carry on the donation