tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post4144583430168138009..comments2023-07-18T11:13:18.577-04:00Comments on Museos Unite: Less Money, More ProblemsKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356138357659552896noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-11715569734283010542009-08-17T14:12:19.112-04:002009-08-17T14:12:19.112-04:00@Sarah Beer + climbing amidst sculptures made of r...@Sarah Beer + climbing amidst sculptures made of reclaimed metal sounds like tons of fun. A huge liability, but tons of fun!Kirstenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05197445379103297920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-35835820967952390072009-08-16T13:59:00.539-04:002009-08-16T13:59:00.539-04:00I like the idea of museums expanding beyond the 9-...I like the idea of museums expanding beyond the 9-5 schedule. I'm learning to be a guide in a house museum, and I hear the evening wine and cheese corporate events are actually fun. <br /><br />St. Louis' City Museum is more of a giant art playground, but they have great weekend hours. They do sell beer, and you can stay until 1 AM on Friday nights, climbing around sculptures made of reclaimed industrial metal.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-16014614800375251042009-08-14T14:17:40.146-04:002009-08-14T14:17:40.146-04:00First, @Tom:
Museum outreach is always good. Muse...First, @Tom:<br />Museum outreach is always good. Museum outreach that can make money is always good, too. But what museums really need to focus on is making visiting a museum SO cool that people really can't stand not to do it. I don't think putting more on the web is the answer, because that is just another "glass case" between the visitor and the object. We need to go back to "Resonance and Wonder" (someone help me out on the citation there, sorry, my notes are all boxed up) and get people to feel that SPARK of connection. I think the web is good for advertising, but we run the risk of letting it be a stand-in for the museum experience. I don't think it is that.<br /><br />I am sure I offended a lot of people right there, and that was not my intention. I am just saying that Objects are an important resource and their inherent value is the experience of being in their presence.Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356138357659552896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-72587987684081006022009-08-14T13:29:08.532-04:002009-08-14T13:29:08.532-04:00I think one of the biggest conversation that needs...I think one of the biggest conversation that needs to happen is not whether or not Museums should stay non-profit. They absolutely should. It's why do they have to be run that way (see: http://www.aam-us.org/pubs/mn/forprofitmuseum.cfm). Why can't they be run just like a for-profit. The curatorship and the business manager should be 2 totally separate jobs. One should be a phd and the other an MBA. One gets grants and funds research into the objects, develops curriculum for schools and colleges, and acquires new pieces. The other acts as chief fundraiser in the form of both donations and philanthropy, but whose job it is to be use the museum as a backdrop for other ways of getting people in the door. This is a NOBLE pursuit. You're sharing these objects with people. That's in their mission statement. They're failing their mission when they have no money cause it means no one is seeing the objects. <br /><br />They have to get out of their head that a museum is meant to be respected and cherished and adored....from 9am to 5pm. People will cherish and adore things when they USE them. People don't want to just see these objects and not be able to interact with them. Art is boring cause it just sits there. But since they're encased in glass, the only way to interact with them is to have them be a part of some event or action. Museums should have bars, restaurants, nightlife, dance clubs even. A museum should be a destination for entertainment, where the art and science are the backdrop for life. Living history, not dead history. This doesn't have to be low brow either. I'm not saying bring the club to MOMA. It should vary by the theme of the museum. Geeks shouldn't go to a bar that's sort of made for them, they should go to a place like the Franklin Institute. Galileo's telescope is there! Where would you rather sit and have drinks!? And the blue blazers and flower prints shouldn't go to the Four Season's for tea, they should dip their biscuits surrounded by Monet and Dali. <br /><br />As to Meglomuseums: This is actually interesting. Cause from my point of view, as opposed to then just having a mega museum, I look at the small museums like satellites or franchises if you will. Smaller museums could be built in places that are smaller towns or more remote (and sometimes cooler) destinations. But with the backing of a bigger museum, that opens up opportunities for rotations of collections. You can send Galileo's scope out for a week or two to the small franchise and then local people would find it and, poof, there are some more jobs for museos right there. Sharing of collections and information and systems means operating costs are much lower. This benefits both the big museum, and the small museum, and opens up more money for employees and research. <br /><br />Ok. But none of these things will help museos get work that is financially viable. But changing the financial structure will. For example. In Philly, the Academy of Natural Sciences just dropped everyone's salary down. If they were making more than $30k/year, it became $30k. If they were making less they took a 10% pay cut. Who can live off of that? Let alone pay debts from a Masters degree. <br /><br />So what to do? Again, take the corporate model to some extent. Things like profit sharing for employees. Sounds crazy? If you knew the more people came to the museum, the more money you would make at the end of the year, you'd get everyone in the door like 4-5 times a year. Museum workers need encouragement, and should have a vested interest in getting people in. They should be able to throw their own parties, or have events. Why does this help museos get work? Because the bonus structure can act like a tip, so a $30k salary could remain the same, if you know you'll get another $10k in bonus, then museum studies majors might think it's a workable job.smavroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09478423229416485961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-1179645384503854942009-08-14T12:26:42.901-04:002009-08-14T12:26:42.901-04:00As a science educator, may I suggest an 'out t...As a science educator, may I suggest an 'out there' idea? I teach in Northern VA just outside of DC. I am fortunate to have a plethora of museum resources at my disposal for my students. Many students can appreciate traveling to the National Air and Space Museum - both of them - or even the Smithsonian Naturalist Center. However, even being close to these museums doesn't ensure taking a trip to them. And these are BIG museums that some might consider worth the trip to just to see the facility. I suggest that museums start to create interactive online exhibits of a few of their artifacts. This way the expertise of these museum workers can be put to use in creating media for students and teachers to use in the classroom to supplement instruction without the burden of making a field trip. Schools could be charged a small fee to use these websites. In fact, it might even work as free advertising for the museums if it does a sufficient job at engaging students. This would be very helpful in keeping museums in the mainstream, especially for the demographics who can't afford the trip. Thoughts?Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00626924522769625702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-65629993089241740032009-08-14T12:24:30.572-04:002009-08-14T12:24:30.572-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00626924522769625702noreply@blogger.com