"Museum as Hub: The Accords" Parts I and II will be on view at the New Museum February 9–July 3, 2011

New York, New York… "Museum as Hub: The Accords" is a multipart project exploring new forms of curatorial practice and international collaboration. Building on experimentation, critique, and play, the exhibition proposes new terms for agreement and considers whether an "accord" can inspire new methods of communication and production, and perhaps lead to new approaches to exhibition making in the process. "The Accords" aims to address both the challenges and possibilities of working as a "hub," moving beyond ideas of consensus and shared authorship toward a more flexible platform that supports multiple and simultaneous strands of research, exchange, and presentation.

Two exhibitions conceptually linked in their development will be presented on the fifth floor of the New Museum in addition to simultaneous manifestations initiated by Museum as Hub partners in Cairo, Eindhoven, Mexico City, and Seoul. From February to September 2011, Hub partner institutions present performances in one city that stream to audiences in another; publish texts and post them online; share screenings between institutions; and organize exhibitions that further expand the discussion exploring new directions in Museum as Hub activity.

The Accords: Part I
"Museum as Hub: An accord is first and foremost only a proposition"
February 9–May 1, 2011
The project begins with the exhibition "An accord is first and foremost only a proposition." Proceeding from the idea that an accord functions as a kind of premise, the exhibition explores how coming together around a set of principles can give form to particular ideas, actions, and events that extend beyond an official agreement. Through the work of Yael Bartana, Dora Garcia, Wael Shawky, and Carey Young, the exhibition addresses the form and logic of agreement and references fictional or historic examples to propose a space for speculation, contestation, and response.

The Accords: Part II
"Museum as Hub: The Incongruous Image - Marcel Broodthaers and Liliana Porter"
May 11–July 3, 2011
The second part of "The Accords" is part elaboration, part critique, and part response to the exhibition "An accord is first and foremost only a proposition." "Museum as Hub: The Incongruous Image" places works by Marcel Broodthaers (b. 1924, Brussels, d.1976, Cologne) and Liliana Porter (b. Buenos Aries, 1941) in dialogue. Highlighting several points of common interest, or philosophical accords, that exist between these two artists, "The Incongruous Image" explores ways in which humor, riddle, and self-critique play fundamental roles in the oeuvres of both Broodthaers and Porter.