Date sent: 30-JAN-1994 Regarding the topic of tourism and museums, I have a questions to kick-start discussion: In a time when museums are increasingly turning their eyes towards "community," which often includes populations in the immediate area, what kinds of adjustments in outreach, funding language, and even the mission of the institution can be made to increase local involvement while still taking into account the fiscal reality of tourist dollars and exposure? At BCM, 80% of museum attendance (approx. 200,000) is local; tourism has never been a major source of audience. Having a strictly local base has it's own problems, but I am concerned that many museums that want to embrace local audiences more fully will be unable to due to very real fears of a drop in their overall numbers. Conversely, museums that represent themselves as having a new community awareness may effect cosmetic changes that despite good intentions (and funder approval) fail to increase local access to the museum. I fully understand that not every museum has to be a community center, and that many legitimate places find their subsistence from tourists; that is not my concern. I just think that the C-word is getting bandied about a wee bit too comfortably in grant proposals, papers, and AAM literature without understanding the full dimensions of such a paradigm shift. Can one find a balance? How are other institutions dealing with pressures or desires for increased (and I suppose even decreased) "community" involvement, in all of its multifarious forms? Any and all non-flame answers welcome. :) vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv Craig M. Rosa Home Phone: (718) 834-6894 Email: [log in to unmask] BCM Phone: (718) 735-4432 M.A. student, Performance Studies/Museum Studies, NYU ,^^^^^^^^ PT Greenhouse Instructor, The Brooklyn Children's Museum ,^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^