---------------Original Message---------------
   Michelle, I thought that your proverbial 2 cents were very fine, with
   one exception. I don't think that its true that [paraphrase, my email
   doesn't do quotes] "museums, particularly in this country, are public
   institutions." In my experience, museums, particularly in this
   country, are private institutions, which function with decreasingly
   significant public support.

   Now, these institutions have a public mandates, usually by charter,
   mission, and other things (like IRS determination of nfp status), but
   the boards are decidedly private, and they are the final arbiters of
   museum policy. Even in the instances where museums are public, like LA
   County Museum or Detroit Institute of Art, private funding and private
   board membership are the norm.  The Smithsonian, of course, is an
   exceptions, which is where the Enola Gay controversy get's kinda fuzzy
   in my mind.

   This contrasts pretty distinctly with museums throughout Europe and, I
   think, most of the world, where the institution tends to be publicly
   funded and operated.

   I don't know that this really has a tremendous impact on the
   exhibition and interpretation decisions that museums make, but the
   difference is there.

   Eric Siegel
   [log in to unmask]

.
----------End of Original Message----------

An important point with which we constantly struggle here:  the public perceptio
n of what a
"public institution" is, and if they have a right to demand free services from i
t.  To
summarize, the public here, at least, is unfortunately almost always mistaken in
 its
perception. (Less elegantly expressed: "What? you want us to pay you for reprodu
ction rights
on your copyrighted material?!  But you're a museum -- a public institution!")
Part of this
perception stems from our country's socialist past, and part of it stems from th
e fact that
our museum, while filling the role of the "National Museum," is not a national m
useum in terms
of its source of funding or organization.  We are indeed a private institution,
80% of our
budget coming from earned income and donations.  The problem definitely does som
etimes effect
exhibition and interpretation decisions, as well as the issue of earning income
I mentioned
before. I would be most interested in hearing from others who encounter this pro
blem.

-------------------------------------
Name: amalyah keshet
visual resources / the israel museum, jerusalem
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Date: 02/23/96
Time: 11:27:18

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