At 03:08 PM 4/30/97 -0400, you wrote:
>A question that many of us in the museum profession have been asked is:
>"Can this proposed museum pay for itself, and, if not, what percentage of
>its annual operating budget can be generated through earned income?"
>


I don't think a museum can entirely pay for itself out of earned income, but
I think a figure of 50-70% is not unreasonable to shoot for.  Earned income
sources include admissions, shop and restaurant revenue, education programs,
tours, special events, facility rentals, traveling exhibition fees,
publications/repro rights fees, selling membership lists to list brokers, etc.

The idea that everything a museum offers should be entirely free of charge
because it's a non-profit organization is silly.  It's been discussed before
(there was a great session on earned income opportunities at the 1996--or
1995?--Midwest Museums Conference) and there is agreement to the theory, but
when it comes time to put it in practice most museums are squeamish about it.

Julia Muney Moore
Director of Exhibitions and Artist Services
Indianapolis Art Center