On Wed, 1 Jul 1998 16:27:42 -0400, Melanie Solomon wrote:

>I'm looking for information on the amount of funding provided by local
>municipalities for museum operations.

>Melanie Solomon
>Curator of History
>The Springfield Library & Museums Assoc.
>Springfield, Massachusetts
>[log in to unmask]

For the past two years the city of Laguna Beach CA has given financial
support to the Laguna Art Museum.  In 1997 it amounted to
approximately 12% of the budget and this year 15%.  These
contributions are special, have not been done in the past,  and may
not be available in the future.  They do reflect a strong interest by
the city in the 80 year old art museum but are clearly intended to
help the museum get back on its feet after an unwanted merger with a
neighboring city's museum.  The merger was fought and the Laguna Art
Museum regained its independence but not without having to surrender
half of its endowment.  In addition, the museum building, during the
years before merger suffered "benign neglect" that has to be
rectified.  Accordingly, the city's contributions are basically to
restore the building and to get the museum back on its financial feet
and independent in all ways.  It is my observation that neither the
city nor the museum's board see this financial support as a steady or
necessarily desirable thing.

John A. Bing
Trustee, Laguna Art Museum