Dear LIST:

My name is Gordon Goodwin, and I am part of a team working on a master plan
to create the Mosaic Templars of America Center for African American Culture
and Business Enterprise, a project of the Arkansas Department of Heritage.
This  project involves the renovation and adaptive reuse of a 3-story
historic building in downtown Little Rock as the Arkansas Center for African
American Heritage. For more background, please visit:

http://www.khubbell.com/mosaic/

An important part of informing the master plan process is understanding the
challenges that Heritage Centers and Museums are facing, and how they are
responding to these challenges to survive and thrive.  In particular, we are
interested in learning:

-How many years did it take for your institutions to get a fairly
solid visitor base? What kind of programs did you use to build your visitor
base?

-How do you communicate with the public to inform your decision-making about
which programs, exhibits and fee-based services to offer?;

-What kinds of donor building and retention strategies are proving most
successful for attracting and maintaining support?;

-how are you using the worldwide web to build patronage and maintain your
desirability as visitor destinations?

Any resources that you can share or refer me to regarding these questions
are much appreciated. I also invite you to speak with me about these issues
sometime between August 7 and 21.  If you have a specific day on which you
are willing to share a 15-20 minute conversation about these questions,
please e-mail me with a date and I will confirm an interview time with you.
You can also reach me via my toll-free line at 1-877-509-5915.

Thank you for helping to build a Home for African American Heritage in
Arkansas.

GORDON GOODWIN

________________

WHO ARE THE MOSAIC TEMPLARS?
Founded in 1883 as a fraternal organization by John E. Bush and Chester W.
Keatts, the Mosaic Templars of America became one of the largest black-owned
business enterprises in the world by providing  burial and life insurance to
members, operating a building and loan association, a newspaper, and other
social programs.  During the 1920's, Mosaic Templars' membership numbered in
the tens of thousands with chapters in 26 states and six foreign countries.

The Mosaic Templars re-invested their wealth in the black community to
create social and economic impact.  They began construction of their
landmark 3-story national headquarters in 1911 in downtown Little Rock.  The
10,000 square foot building housed independently-operated professional and
retail businesses, membership services offices, and a 3rd floor auditorium
which hosted theatrical and musical performances as well as symposia.
Dedicated in 1913 by Booker T. Washington, the Mosaic Templars Building
became a vibrant center for black life and an important symbol of black
economic achievement in racially-segregated Little Rock. Their achievements
and innovations helped to make America stronger and more prosperous.


--
Development Solutions
Transforming Economies for All
Gordon Goodwin, Principal Consultant
Local ­ 210-496-5343
Toll Free - 1-877-509-5915
Fax ­ 240-332-4763
Mobile ­ 210-887-6735

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Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).