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 2006 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. Since tax codes change frequently, collectors are advised to obtain professional advice before making any contribution of art.
TFAO suggests viewing online:
In
Search of Culture: Birth of the Museum of Fine Arts, [52:21 ]including
lectures by David Dearinger and Hina Hirayama presented December 13, 2007
at the Boston Athenaeum.
Both presenters are staff members at the.Boston Athenaeum
Inventing
Concepts for a New Museum by Yves Abrioux,
professor, English lit, U Paris VIII. [1:37:25] On April 18, 2007 the High Museum of Art presented Yves Abrioux,
professor of English literature at the University of Paris VIII and the
Ecole du Louvre for the past six years. He serves on the editorial board
of TLE and is the writer of many articles and exhibition catalogues, including
Ian Hamilton Finlay: a Visual Primer (1992). Abrioux's scholarly
work informs his own landscape art, which has appeared in France, Germany
and England. In the fall of 2006, Abrioux was a visiting professor at Georgia
Tech's School of Literature, Communication and Culture, where he helped
to coordinate projects between the High Museum, the MusÎe du Louvre
and Georgia Tech.
Artist's
View of the Future of the Museum by Jane Prophet,
artist. [1:10:04 ] On April 4, 2007 the High Museum of Art presented artist
Jane Prophet who works across disciplines to create internationally acclaimed
projects that have broken new ground in art, technology, and science. Her
work, which includes large-scale installations, digital print, Websites
and CD-ROMs, reflects her interest in complexity theory, landscape and
artificial life. Among her past projects are the award-winning Website,
TechnoSphere, and The Landscape Room, an installation
that combines photographs with computer-simulated landscapes. In October
2006, she completed a solo show at Paco das Artes, which coincided with
the Sao Paulo Biennale.
Selective
Attention: Neuroscience and the Art Museum
by Barbara Stafford, professor, art history, U Chicago. [1:12:09 ] On March
22, 2007 the High Museum of Art presented Barbara Stafford, the William
B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of the University of Chicago's
Department of Art History. She discussed the relationship between neuroscience
and art museums. Stafford's recent essays focus on how developments in
brain science are informing our assumptions about perception, emotion,
sensation, and mental imagery. She is currently writing a cognitive history
of images. Stafford is the writer of many books, including Body Criticism:
Imaging the Unseen in Enlightenment Art and Medicine (1991), Artful
Science: Enlightenment, Entertainment, and the Eclipse of Visual Education
(1994), and Visual Analogy: Consciousness as the Art of Connecting
(1999).Examples of art museums supported by a single benefactor
While not numerous, there are several art museums in the United States founded and primarily supported by a single benefactor or family. Examples are:
TFAO invites those who have established and operate museums with their personal financial support to share their experiences with the public in order to provide insight and encouragement to others considering that option. TFAO welcomes readers to enjoy the story of the establishment and evolution of The Irvine Museum in The Irvine Museum in Perspective; essay by Jean Stern, from the book "A California Woman's Story" (8/22/08)
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.'"
For more on the topic of lending portions of collections, TFAO suggests reading Planning, Organizing and Touring Art Exhibitions
Books
There are a number of books published to help persons plan
and organize new museums. Here are some titles:
The Manual of Museum Planning, By Gail Dexter Lord, Barry Lord. Published 2000 by Rowman Altamira. 480 pages. ISBN:0742504069. Google Books says: n essential resource for all museum professionals as well as trustees, architects, designers, and government agencies involved with the dynamic world of museums and galleries." Google Books offers an online Limited Preview
Organizing Your Museum: The Essentials
(American Association of Museums)
"Practical information and advice that trustees,
volunteers, or staff need to know about starting a museum and successfully
managing every stage of its development. This report addresses the questions
you will need to consider to realistically assess the museum's chances for
success. Included are sample bylaws, mission statements, long-range plans,
job descriptions, collections management policies, and readings." -
AAM (left: front cover, Organizing Your Museum: The Essentials. Image
courtesy Google Books)
Starting Right: A Basic Guide to Museum Planning, 2nd edition by Gerald George (AltaMira Press
/ American Association for State 
&
Local History) "For anyone not yet in the museum business, Starting
Right will be a revelation. . . . This second edition of a fine introductory
handbook answers questions many neophytes will not yet have considered.
. . . This is a splendid book, enjoyable enough to take along to Starbucks
for a lingering coffee. The chapters are short, and each provided with a
useful reading list. The index is thorough, the illustrations relevant.
Although the title suggests that the readers will be behind the scenes for
the first time, many others will find it constructive."- Museline Google Books offers an online Limited
Preview. (right: front cover, Starting Right: A Basic Guide to Museum
Planning, 2nd edition. Image courtesy Google Books)
Towards a New Museum, by Victoria
Newhouse. 208 pages. Publisher: Monacelli (March 1, 1998). ISBN-10: 1885254601.
ISBN-13: 978-1885254603. Amazon.com Review: "Should art museums be
designed to surprise and delight or to instruct and uplift? Should the museum
building be a temple of art or an entertainment complex? Architectural historian
Victoria Newhouse considers these and other questions about museums in her
book Towards a New Museum. Newhouse examines dozens of art museums built
during the 1980s and 1990s and describes how the buildings fit into the
history of ideas about the proper function of museums. Some museums are
like cabinets of curiosities, a hodgepodge of items the collector assembles
to delight viewers. Other designers of museums strive to provide a neutral
environment that does not distract viewers from the art. However, some architects
believe that hanging paintings on white walls in galleries separates the
art from its context. Architects and artists have grappled with these ideas
and created some stunning and outlandish museums in recent years. Newhouse
describes the sinuous, titanium-coated new Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao,
Spain, and the fractured forms of the Fredrick R. Weisman Art Museum in
Minneapolis. She writes about the artist Donald Judd, who bought most of
Marfa, Texas, and made it a museum. These are bold and sometimes beautiful
museums. Newhouse wisely includes plenty of good pictures and diagrams of
each building. In different segments of the book, Newhouse discusses: private
museums, museums that function as temples of art, museums devoted to one
artist, and museums designed by artists. She also devotes a chapter to the
unfortunate impact of museum politics on design. This chapter, "Wings
That Don't Fly," illustrates some of the more vivid design disasters
in recent history, including the "toilet tank" addition to the
Guggenheim in New York. Art historians, architects, and people who are connected
to museums will find this book an instructive, thoughtful overview of what's
going on with museums today. --Jill Marquis" (text courtesy of Amazon.com)
Other suggested books
Crafting Effective Mission and Vision Statements, Emil Angelica, 2001 (67 pages).
Museum Job Descriptions and Organizational Charts, Mary Lister, 1999 (400 pages.) Sample job descriptions for various museum positions and sample charts to show flow of authority.
Strategic Planning Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations, Bryan W. Barry, 1995 (72+ pages). A workbook for developing strategic plans.
Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook, Michael Allison, 1997 (287 pages)
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.
Return to Museums Explained
Links to sources of information outside of our web site are provided only as referrals for your further consideration. Please use due diligence in judging the quality of information contained in these and all other web sites. Information from linked sources may be inaccurate or out of date. Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc. (TFAO) neither recommends or endorses these referenced organizations. Although TFAO includes links to other web sites, it takes no responsibility for the content or information contained on those other sites, nor exerts any editorial or other control over them. For more information on evaluating web pages see TFAO's General Resources section in Online Resources for Collectors and Students of Art History.
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