I'm not certain why this is a valid question, or that not being for
everyone is precisely a "stigma."  Is anything a "viable leisure time
activity for all [emphasis added] socio-economic classes"?  Is
everyone able and desirous of going to stock car races, or amusement
parks, or horseback riding, or baseball games, or pottery classes, or
deep sea fishing, etc.-and just consider the cost of Disneyland!.
People make choices about how & where they spend their time and money
all they time.  Nothing is for everyone. But museums-like many of the
other leisure-time activities (few of which, I hasten to note, are
free or even inexpensive, including such "public" activities a visit
to a national park)-are indeed available to everyone with the
inclination to participate. And of course, if the budgets exist,
museums can & do invite participation by such means as advertising
the existence of the museum itself and/or specific exhibitions.
My 2 cents.
Bernard Barryte



>How can/do you, as a Museum, try to counteract the stigma that the institution
>is not a viable lesire-time activity for all socio-economic classes?
>
>What measures has your institution implemented to encourage visitation as a
>viable leisure-time activity for all socio-economic classes.  I am
>particularly interested as to how this is handled by Art Museums ( and how
>senior adults (over the age of 65) are encourage to attend.  How long have the
>programs been in existence and what results - positive and/or negative - have
>you recorded.
>I would appreciate commentary from both inside and outside the United States.
>Thanking you in advance for your time.
>
>Charmaine Hammond
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--
------------
Bernard Barryte
Chief Curator
Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts
Stanford University
328 Lomita Dr.
Stanford, CA 94305-5060
USA

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tel:  650/ 725-0466  fax: 650-725-1652

=========================================================
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