Thomas,

As an architect involved in programming and designing museums, I've found it
rare for an institution -- big or small -- to afford to build as much space
as they want and need -- exhibit and otherwise.  So I would approach your
problem from several angles, ideally somewhat simultaneously because they
influence each other:

-- How large a facility (including all of the space) can you afford to
build, staff and operate (beyond the initial atypical first year or two)?
-- What is the breakdown in expected income among endowment, visitor
admissions, memberships, donations, government funds, retail operations
etc.?
-- How many people would likely visit the museum and how might they be
distributed over the day and calendar year?  Such marketing studies should
suggest how much public space (which could be retail, exhibit, performance
etc.) you would need to house peak or typical crowds.  They may also suggest
the amount of retail space that would likely be profitable.
-- What stories do you want to tell and how will you tell them?
-- What collections do you have that you want to exhibit and acquire?
-- Do you want to host or develop travelling shows of a certain size?
-- What public and staff spaces are needed to support the exhibition
program?
-- If you have an existing site or building in mind, what is its capacity?

I agree with Jay's post that quality rather than size most influences
visitation, especially when talking about art and artifacts.  Location is
also significant.  People from around the world would want to visit the
Louvre in large numbers even if it housed only the Mona Lisa in a one room
museum at that location in Paris.  People come in large numbers to see the
Liberty Bell housed alone in a small pavillion in Philadelphia because of
the bell's special meaning, bolstered by its surrounding colonial context,
the aura of its crack, and -- at least in the past -- a generous access
policy allowing touching and photos.

Ann Trowbridge
Philadelphia

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