Thank you, Briana, for writing in Museum-L.  I join Mark in hoping
you'll contribute further.  [I love to see the average age of subscribers to
this list lower slightly by another <35 person!]
    The discussions on Museum-L are terrific fodder for new ideas.  There
are idealists, pessimists, realists.  There are museum professionals, museum
supporters, university faculty and students, and more.  Practical solutions
can be hatched here . . . so, please, don't back away from the challenge.
After all, it's not like history/science/transportation/etc. museums have
everything figured out perfectly.  [Just review the message archive to
verify this observation.]
    Change takes place when bright people with drive meet a challenge head
on, Briana . . . so, if you like art venues and feel comfortable teaching a
general audience about art, jump in!

    Every idea Indigo suggested, without exception, is wonderful.  I wish,
as do most on Museum-L, that each art venue could implement one or more of
those ideas.  It's not ideas that are lacking.  What is lacking is staffing.
A museum's educational responsibility is to provide opportunities within its
means and based upon its visiting public, all the while keeping an eye on
new 'publics' that might be attracted.
    While a million-dollar grant would be helpful, shoe-string budgets can
be used to produce wonderfully stimulating programs.  Without sufficient
staffing, however, such programming is not always possible.  So, before
criticizing art venues, find out what their staffing situation is like . . .
and try to remain sensitive to the hard work that art educators do every
day.

    OK.  That's my "team spirit" message for the day.  Back to work . . .

Best wishes all,

Jay Heuman, Curator of Education
Salt Lake Art Center
20 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

T 801-328-4201
F 801-322-4323
E [log in to unmask]
W www.slartcenter.org




On 3/3/05 11:06 PM, "Briana Flinchbaugh" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I will always be an art lover, but I think I'd prefer to work for a history
> museum.

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