tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post59860523593547853..comments2023-07-18T11:13:18.577-04:00Comments on Museos Unite: Solutions Series 2: The Offsite Museum BarKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356138357659552896noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-7986344943587402832010-06-17T11:01:27.036-04:002010-06-17T11:01:27.036-04:00Museum salaries are low, especially considering th...Museum salaries are low, especially considering the specialized training and expertise necessary for the field. However, museum-owned bars are not the answer. For salaries to improve, museum administrators need to make salary increases a priority, which is hard to justify in these economic times as museums across the country face budget cuts and struggle to continue providing high-quality services to the public. Pursuing external sources of revenue linked to museums is dangerous. How does operating a bar to fund salaries really tie into the museum's mission? This might be an appropriate avenue for some institutions, but it is not an acceptable solution for most. If a museum does choose to pursue an external revenue source, it should at the very least strive to improve quality of life. Museums are (or should be) EDUCATIONAL institutions for diverse people of all ages. As educational institutions, they should not be in the business of promoting alcohol consumption. Yes, I agree salaries should be improved. However, museums are called "non-profits" for a reason, and will never pay as well as other sectors.Ginnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13357533889478281022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-27264272973356765862010-06-09T22:24:28.844-04:002010-06-09T22:24:28.844-04:00YOUR comment is a joke, right? The solution to ter...YOUR comment is a joke, right? The solution to terrible salaries in museums is to leave the cruddy museum salaries just as they are, and then work an additional job?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-74924769158442019052010-06-09T12:42:43.197-04:002010-06-09T12:42:43.197-04:00This is a joke, right? Since the whole premise be...This is a joke, right? Since the whole premise behind bar nights and lectures is to get more people into the museums, it would be counter-intuitive to send them to a different location. And if the end result is to just filter the revenues back to the museum employee salaries, why don't you just moonlight at a bar in addition to a museum job?Mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16172146371464389670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-6097635556469936962010-04-13T06:38:25.835-04:002010-04-13T06:38:25.835-04:00i visited your site and it was good enough than ot...i visited your site and it was good enough than othere site that i visited before.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.onlineuniversalwork.com" rel="nofollow"><br />part-time job</a>Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05880209154776870073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-24783573384886780142010-04-02T11:51:55.649-04:002010-04-02T11:51:55.649-04:00@anon
Then how do you propose we change the attit...@anon <br />Then how do you propose we change the attitudes of those in power? Just saying "that's how it is, too bad" does nothing to fix the problem. Give us a better idea and we would be happy to post it. The Solutions Series is about trying new ideas out.<br /><br />What we're proposing is an off-site bar set with the idea that proceeds will contribute to staff salaries. We're not saying that museums that just happened to set up an off-site bar would put staff earnings towards staff salaries. Clearly they would not. Salaries seem to be some of the lowest priorities museums have, which is why we're searching for ways to rectify this problem.<br /><br /><br />@Everyone<br />We at Museos Unite appreciate the difficulty of changing the thinking of people in museums. But until we all start generating some more crazy ideas, we are stuck with the way things are. The answer has to be out there. Don't be afraid to propose something ridiculous! But please don't say "it's impossible to change things." If we believed that, we wouldn't be running this blog. And if that's true, then museums are doomed.Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356138357659552896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-50098656844371148342010-04-02T11:40:08.436-04:002010-04-02T11:40:08.436-04:00@Jeffrey W
Then how do you explain museums owning ...@Jeffrey W<br />Then how do you explain museums owning offsite shops that are extensions of their onsite shops?Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356138357659552896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-5732796066220591492010-03-31T17:05:49.980-04:002010-03-31T17:05:49.980-04:00The idea of a restaurant or a bar in a museum is a...The idea of a restaurant or a bar in a museum is a tried and true model. Even though it's a moneymaking business, it helps to facilitate he visitor experience, and to keep people from leaving the building because they need to eat or drink. Theoretically, the restaurant itself can be a draw when you think of "The Modern" at MOMA, which earned a Michelin star; I think we will see more of this in the future (the Times recently wrote about this).<br /><br />But the idea of an offsite bar is really getting away from the furtherance of the mission that any NPO must keep focused in its sights. It's not really the mission of a museum to operate a commercial business to feed its charitable measures (and by transference pay its employees better wages). If that business fits squarely within the mission and can also generate cash, it's a win-win. Think of how the Metropolitan Opera developed and then licensed Tessitura, the widely-adopted performing arts venue donor database software. Maybe a museum could partner with, or have a loose affiliation with an offsite bar, to offer new experiences to its users; though ultimately, owning and operating one is a liability and distraction from the mission.Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-16765228163751944092010-03-31T17:01:03.723-04:002010-03-31T17:01:03.723-04:00While I agree that bars/restaurants are a fantasti...While I agree that bars/restaurants are a fantastic source of revenue for museums, I don't think that extra money would neccessarily be used to improve salaries. The museum I work for has a restaurant that is very popular for private events and brings in a ton of money -- however, that revenue just goes back to pay off restaurant expenses and then the general revenue account. I feel that that is probably the case accross the board, the Director thinks "Look, I'm getting more revenue to put towards collecting/education/endowment." Why would the administration be willing to put that money towards salaries for people already willing to work there for low wages?<br /><br />I guess the moral of my story is that it takes more than just an increase in revenue to improve salaries, it takes a change in the whole mindset of the institution. I know at my museum, at least, that changing the attitudes of those in power is the most difficult piece of the salary puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-46270865536854852172010-03-30T11:48:25.958-04:002010-03-30T11:48:25.958-04:00@Erin
Wowzer, we cannot wait to read your thesis. ...@Erin<br />Wowzer, we cannot wait to read your thesis. Really like the bit about using teaching collections, I hadn't even thought of that option. Low risk, still educational and fun.<br /><br />@Nina<br />Cool! Seems like we share an affinity for bars and museums, eh? I like the idea of giving museos a start and then sending them off with more experience. It's a direct benefit to Museos in an experience sense, as opposed to a longer-term benefit to the Museo-salary fund, but still gets them a living wage to start. Do you think that after they finish working at the "Boozeum" (newcurator's term), that these Museos will be able to find jobs earning a comparable rate, or will they end up taking a paycut when they get a more permanent position? Could be a conundrum. But it will definitely raise the sector's awareness of wages, and give Museos an incredible start.<br /><br />We'd love to hear more about it, whenever you are ready to reveal. There is so much exciting potential in this idea. Awesome!<br /><br />@Newcurator<br />We've been calling it the "Brewseum", but I think I like "Boozeum" better as it is not beer-specific. We actually have a really cute tagline for it, but we are saving that one up for later.Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356138357659552896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-87687990367682967232010-03-29T19:18:52.151-04:002010-03-29T19:18:52.151-04:00I've just saved this on delicious.com and tagg...I've just saved this on delicious.com and tagged it as "boozeum", which may be the most clever thing I've said today.Newcuratorhttp://newcurator.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-20664743848773465682010-03-29T17:36:06.836-04:002010-03-29T17:36:06.836-04:00I'm planning to open a participatory pub in 20...I'm planning to open a participatory pub in 2011. Part of the strategy is to hire people who would otherwise be taking entry-level museum positions as floor staff or educators. I think I should be able to pay them slightly more than they can make in a museum, and that they would get some training that would be applicable to museums while somewhat unusual.<br /><br />I'm looking at apprenticeship models and am particularly interested in finding ways to pay people a living wage for a temporary job. It's important to me to have lots of people cycle through the institution with new ideas and then take their learning to more traditional institutions. I'm still trying to figure out how to make this kind of system as appealing as possible without using full-time long-term employment as the carrot.Nina Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2007090566288222344.post-48466045081733694902010-03-29T12:31:31.959-04:002010-03-29T12:31:31.959-04:00What a great idea!
My thesis project is a summati...What a great idea! <br />My thesis project is a summative evaluation of two museum trivia nights, hosted in bars, in Seattle. So I have a lot of proof that people like to learn about history and science while having a glass of beer, though these events are held in participating bars in the city, not in a museum's personal bar. <br />Some of the rounds even include objects from the teaching collection (like fossils, small skulls, or baskets) so there is less danger in taking them out of the collection and into a public place. <br />I can't wait to hear more ideas about how to raise money for museos.Erin Milbeck Wilcoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15072524297824318663noreply@blogger.com