In today’s economic climate, nonprofit and other organizations all over the country are struggling to keep their doors open. With a large portion of funding often coming from corporate and private donors, stock market repercussions are reducing the dollars awarded in support. Particularly hit are those unique preservers of culture and history—the museum. A simple Internet query on the state of museums in the country reveals that even the heaviest of hitters are taking it on the chin. Recently the Queens Museum of Art in New York saw $400,000 cut from its budget.[1]
As a response, these institutions are looking at a host of possible solutions. Many start with reduced staff and business hours as a solution, while others, says a recent Wall Street Journal article, are forced to think outside the box for answers:
“Several of the country’s small and medium-size museums have been turning to the art-world equivalent of a bailout. They are partnering with a university or other academic institution, in some cases handing over artworks and changing locations, in a last-ditch effort to keep their doors open and their collections intact and available to the public.”[2]
Museums situated in smaller cities and towns often face financial strife on an even greater order of magnitude. They seldom receive the same level of funding as their urban counterparts, and thus rely more heavily on earned revenue from patrons. With little funding to bring in National-caliber exhibits, which in turn, draw more customers, outlying museums fight a vicious cycle just to stay viable. Moreover, these rural organizations don’t often have the same “bailout” options at hand as those in metropolitan areas, as mentioned above.
The Minnesota Humanities Center is taking an active role in helping small museums in greater Minnesota help themselves. Museum on Main Street is a one-of-a-kind cultural project that serves small town museums and residents of rural America by bringing national-caliber exhibits to rural historical societies and museums. It is a partnership of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and state humanities councils nationwide. Museum on Main Street combines the prestige of Smithsonian exhibitions, the program expertise of state humanities councils, and the unique histories of small rural towns.
These exhibits tell a national story and are complemented by a local exhibit, created by the host site, which provides a local story related to the Smithsonian material. While the Smithsonian name draws audiences in, it is often the local artifacts and stories assembled by host sites that visitors find most compelling, as they have direct connection to the material.
This is where you can help. If you would like to support local historical societies and museums by visiting a Museum on Main Street exhibit, please find additional information about the current schedule of tours by visiting http://minnesotahumanities.org/outreach/moms.
The Minnesota Humanities Center is also looking for local historical societies and museums to host a Museum on Main Street exhibit for the 2011-2012 year. If you know of a community that would benefit from hosting a Smithsonian traveling exhibit, please visit our website at http://minnesotahumanities.org/outreach/moms for information about the call for proposals for the upcoming exhibit New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music.
The Minnesota Humanities Center is into its eighth year bringing these national-caliber exhibits to rural towns of 20,000 or fewer, resulting in additional resources and record-breaking numbers of visitors to small cultural organizations. Through Museum on Main Street, the Humanities Center leverages the Smithsonian’s national reputation to deepen awareness of and interest in local and regional Minnesota history, while enhancing the vitality of rural cultural organizations and greater Minnesota communities.
[1] “Museums Exhibit Signs of Economic Distress”. National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99017732. Accessed May 24, 2010.
[2] “Hit by the Downturn, Museums Seek Bailouts”. Wall Street Journal. http://tiny.cc/za6x3. Accessed on May 24, 2010.
