The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live and Grammy Foundation announced Monday they are merging to become “the leading educational institution dedicated to broadening the historical and cultural significance of music.”
“Combining the strengths of the highly complementary organizations, the newly expanded Grammy Museum Foundation will offer the best of each organization’s initiatives in preservation, education, exhibitions, and public programming,” said a statement.
The integration was approved earlier this year by The Recording Academy and AEG, the Anschutz Entertainment Group, under which the museum was developed as a joint partnership in 2008, as well as by the respective Boards of each organization, the statement said.
“Both the Grammy Museum and Grammy Foundation have done such truly remarkable work as individual organizations that we started to think about what we could achieve together,” said Neil Portnow, President and CEO of The Recording Academy.
“This integration will allow us to combine our resources and the expertise of our dedicated staffs to increase the impact of our shared vision: to cultivate a greater understanding of the history and cultural significance of music, inspire its appreciation, and advance its future,” he said.
To help fulfill its commitment of providing the best in preservation, education, exhibitions, and public programming, the museum has expanded its executive team, according to the statement. Scott Goldman, previously Vice President of the Grammy Foundation and MusiCares, has been appointed Executive Director of the newly expanded Grammy Museum, overseeing development, programming, curatorial services, and strategic planning.
Bob Santelli, the Museum’s original and previous Executive Director, will transition into the newly created position of Founding Executive Director, and will focus on the pursuit of domestic and international market expansions, development of business alliances and strategies, and opportunities for further growth and evolution of the Grammy Museum and its missions.
In addition, the Museum’s Deputy Executive Director, Rita George, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, “working to ensure the Museum’s excellence in exhibits and programs, overseeing acquisitions, and managing domestic and international projects,” the statement said. Under this new management structure, Wayne Zahner will serve as Chief Financial Officer and Michael Sticka will serve as Controller for the Grammy Museum Foundation.
—City News Service