I don't think that the reasons are intrinsic to the institutions; however, I
believe there might be two strong factors operating that combine to reduce
attendance:

1)  Art practice and art appreciation are casualties of lowered funding
levels in the public schools.  This not only affects field trip visitation
(a staple source of visitation to history and science museums and the main
way youth finds out about museums if their parents aren't interested in
them) but has a rebound effect on the societal value placed on going to art
museums generally.

2)  A lot of public art galleries cannot afford to advertise regularly, and
therefore potential visitors don't immediately think of them when deciding
where to spend their leisure time.  In such institutions the marketing
budget is often the first to be cut in times of funding crises.

If the museum in question is very well-known or is of very long standing, it
may receive just as much visitation as any other museum.  However, if the
museum is smaller, less well-known or located in an out-of-the-way place,
these could also affect visitation.

My personal recommendations are to lobby for more art education in the
schools and to safeguard institutional general-awareness marketing budgets.
It seems to me to be just as "wasteful" to spend money on programs that
nobody attends as it is to pour money into marketing campaigns where the
impact is not immediate and financially measurable.


Julia Muney Moore
Public Art Administrator and
Project Manager, Art Program, New Indianapolis Airport 
Blackburn Architects
3388 Founders Rd
Indianapolis, IN  46268
317.875.5500 x230
FAX 317.875.0544
[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Steven [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 12:01 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Art Gallery Problem

Do you think there is an intrinsic problem with the insitution of the public
art gallery that causes it
to receive lower attendence in general than other types of museums? What do
you think that
problem is? Is there a solution? Your advice will inform my research on this
subject.
Thanks very much,
Robert Steven

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