Museums Explained
Sections:
Support
Admissions usually provide only a small fraction of the funds needed to maintain the mission of a museum.. About 20% of museums' income from operations is derived from general admission fees. Government and private grant support in recent years has declined. Support from patrons is therefore more important than ever. Support your local museum. Volunteer service is also critical for museums to provide effective service in the community. As Tom Lidtke explains in his article on the intrinsic and unique value of museums:
Before making a major financial commitment
Individuals who are considering a financial commitment
to a museum beyond annual giving may ask to see the museum's annual report.
If there is minimal financial information in the annual report, donors can
ask to see the Form 990 submitted annually by each nonprofit organization
to the Federal government. The Form 990 contains financial statements, lists
of trustees and key employees plus other operating information.
A commonly used source for retrieving a museum's Form 990 is GuideStar, a non profit organization which says on its web site "GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving." (right: image courtesy GuideStar)
Another source for guidance in donation
decisions is Charity Navigator.
A quote from the non profit service's web site says: "Founded in 2001,
Charity Navigator has become the nation's largest and most-utilized evaluator
of charities. In our quest to help donors, our team of professional analysts
has examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents. As a result,
we know as much about the true fiscal operations of charities as anyone.
We've used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based
rating system to assess the financial health of over 5,000 of America's
best-known charities." (right: image courtesy Charity Navigator)
Starting a museum
There is an increasing trend for philanthropists and collectors to start new private art museums in the United States. Persons owning a significant collection they wish to share with the public, along with financial resources and passion to foster appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts, may consider establishing an art museum. Even absent a collection and financial means, passion combined with vision, leadership, a well thought out mission and hard work will lead to establishment of an institution. Many communities can benefit from a new museum filling a specific and unmet need.
Often, collectors believe that their collections have greater value when kept intact and shown in whole. Government-owned or university museums may hesitate in accommodating these wishes. Some collectors considering establishment of private museums could have concerns that -- if they give their collections to public or educational institutions -- at a later date the museum might divest itself of parts of the gifted collection for profit.
A recent change in the US tax code regarding fractional giving of art works has also influenced giving behavior among collectors when they are considering options of donations to government-owned or university museums vs. establishment of private museums.
An alternative: the lending-library model
In a Wall Street Journal article from April 4, 2008; Page W1, titled "The Firestorm Over Private Museums, Instead of donating their art, collectors are building private museums -- and roiling the art world," reporter Lauren A.E. Schuker says that "...collectors are forgoing donations and starting foundations that essentially serve as lending libraries, loaning out works to institutions around the world." She cites the case of Eli Broad of Los Angeles, CA, who has maintained a lending-library model since the 1980s. Ms. Schuker says: "Mr. Broad, who made his fortune building SunAmerica and KB Home, says the lending model allows the artworks to get more exposure. 'We created the lending library to show art that would otherwise be in storage,' he says. 'We see ourselves as the guardians of the works during our lifetimes.'"
There are a number of books published to help persons plan and organize new museums. Here are some titles:
& Local History)
Other Suggested Books
Challenges
In an October 2004 article in Art Museum Network News titled "Defining Success in Art Museums," Maxwell L. Anderson, Research Affiliate at the Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University expresses his opinion of the core mission of art museums:
Dr. Anderson's words underscore a trend for some museums to take on attributes of entertainment centers, which he believes may prove disadvantageous to museums' long term health. He calls for museum leaders to develop "...new metrics of success that more accurately measure their museum's long-term health and relative standing. In order to be worthy of adoption, these new metrics must have three attributes: Be directly connected with the core values and mission of the art museum; be reliable indicators of long-term organizational and financial health, and be easily verified and reported."
In discussing a survey which addresses questions museums face, Dr. Anderson quotes from one of the survey questions defining a positive visitation experience: "...An intangible sense of elation -- a feeling that a weight was lifted off their shoulders; a greater appreciation of specific works of art or a period or movement; an improved understanding of why some artworks are more valuable than others; a desire to return to the museum in the not-too-distant future."
Without diminishing museums' multi-dimensional role to "...preserve, enhance, interpret, research and extend the reach of collections on behalf of society, provide public service through education, display of art works, scholarship and related activities..." TFAO agrees that accomplishment of these visitor outcomes will bode well for museums' mission fulfillment and long-term community support.
Museum associations
For information on the missions of museums in your state contact the museum association. State museum associations with web sites include:
The national association is American Association of Museums.
Copyright 2008 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights reserved.