Posted: Jun 2, 2025 1:03 AM CDT
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) — The president of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) Board of Trustees is responding to a public attack from the City of Montgomery regarding the museum’s governance structure.
The city posted a message on May 31 titled “What’s Happening at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts — And Why It Matters,” accusing the joint board of “creating legal risks and operational challenges.” The full post is available on the city’s official website. A separate video was also posted on the City of Montgomery’s social media platforms.
In a statement released Sunday, Board President Bill Ford said the MMFA Joint Board has been misrepresented on the city’s official Facebook, Instagram, X accounts, and website. Ford addressed the growing tension between the museum’s leadership and city officials, urging the City Council to approve a new governance agreement during its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, June 3.
“We regret that the Joint Board of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has been misrepresented on the City of Montgomery’s Facebook page, Instagram, X, and website,” Ford said. “As retired Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb has said, concerns over current operations are ‘manufactured’ – just because certain city officials keep saying that
the City Museum Board and Association Board are ‘operating illegally’ does not make it so.”
The governance of the MMFA has historically operated as a public-private partnership. Ford says, “The City owns the building, largely gifted by private citizens. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (commonly referred to as “the Association”) owns the art collection. While we work together, neither entity has ultimate authority over the other. Joint governance of the MMFA by the City Museum Board and the Association Board has served the Museum well for over sixty years.”
Ford noted that though this dual structure has been in place for more than 60 years, recent conflicts — including the absence of a permanent director for two years — have strained the partnership.
“Disruptions to board governance have left the museum without a director, resulting in staff departures and failure to maintain the building,” Ford said. “This leaves the collection in peril and the City in jeopardy of violating the deed to the museum property.”
The latest dispute follows 2 years of conflict between the museum boards and Mayor Steven Reed. It stemmed from February 2023, when the mayor placed the museum’s director on administrative leave without consulting the boards. In a joint statement released in February of this year, the boards said that move marked the beginning of unilateral control by the city over the museum’s operations.
“Since then, the Mayor’s Office has effectively exerted control over the operation of the museum without meaningful board consultation,” the statement read. “The boards have expressed opposition but refrained from going public in hopes of a resolution.”
Ford said the boards’ decision to publicly acknowledge the dispute came after mounting pressure, including controversy over a public billboard displayed in the museum’s name.
“Our model of shared governance has allowed us to build a world-class museum offering free access to art for the community,” Ford said. “We remain committed to a harmonious resolution but believe the public deserves to know what is happening.”
The Montgomery City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a resolution that would formally define the museum’s governing structure. The meeting is at 5pm at city hall and is open to the public.