Not to be a nay-sayer, but teachers, police and firefighters are
occupations for which the out-of-pocket cost to the individual is
nothing (beyond their taxes, the general principle of which they
begrudge anyway) and the ultimate value to society is without question.
Museums, on the other hand, mostly charge admission and for the most
part the general public believes that the museum actually runs on their
admission fees. Everyone recognizes the need to have firefighters;
however, the typical belief is that people who use museums are the ones
who should pay for them, and the vast majority of people in this country
NEVER GO TO MUSEUMS. This belief is IMPOSSIBLE to change, no matter how
much we cite statistics that admission fees only cover 10% or 15% (or
whatever it is) of the cost to run a museum.
Now, Indigo's campaign might work if no museum charged an admission fee,
but there are so many different types and structures of museums, and the
media LOVES to run stories about scandals involving museums (heck, a
large and beloved local museum here just got $12+million in Federal
transportation money to improve pedestrian access to the museum, and
hoo-boy is there a firestorm of complaint!), that trying to make a case
to the public that museums are understaffed and underpaid would just
elicit whoops of laughter.
Julia Muney Moore
Public Art Administrator
Blackburn Architects, Indianapolis, IN
(317) 875-5500 x230
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Indigo Nights
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 3:27 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: When Dorothy and Her Friends Met the Wizard
...So what is it the Teachers do when they are faced with
fiscal adversity in the schools? They advertise/take
it to the public. What do the Firefighters do in like
situations? They take it to the public (the voters).
What do the Policemen do? They take it to the public.
Public servants all.
Museum folk are often public servants in their own
right. What if they took the plight of the museums to
the public in a way that caught their attention? What
if AAM were to launch an advertising campaign and
shift folks off the paradigm that the museums are
always there and can be taken for granted.
I don't know if the money is there at AAM, but I
suspect somebody could find some for this kind of a
thing.
Put up billboards in strategic parts of the US with
pictures of recognizable insitutions. Just a picture,
and a teaser that says "Closing Soon" or "Final Days"
Make the picture recognizable to the population in the
area is which it is posted, and arouse curiousity.
Don't clue the media in right away, but do make sure
the insitutions shown are in on the game. If staff
members of the displayed insitutions are asked,
instruct them to play along with the campaign and give
a vague answer that doesn't blatantly lie, but leads
to more intrigue.
Even if you have to get docents or interns to do it,
have folks call the media and ask them to ferret
what's behind the closures, as in "Hey, I saw that
sign by the road. Are they really going to close?."
Create some sense of alarm.
Then, and only then, reveal how hard pressed museum
careers are to come by due to lack of funding and, if
something doesn't change soon, there will be no one to
keep the institutions going, and they will have to
close. Explain some part of the people in a museum do
(it's often invisible ot the public) and just how much
education it takes.
Maybe you can get papers to do PSAs that say something
like, "I'm a curator. I went to school for xx years,
and it's my job to do blah-blah." Or "I'm an
archivist . . ." One aspect of museum profession, on
a partial page ad, spread over a period of days or
time.
Then, after you have carefully rolled out this ad
campaign (if you go PSA, it shouldn't cost a lot),
then let the public know how hard up the industry is
for money for jobs and what they can do to help.
Probably, you'll find some microphone-hogging
politician who may be willing to champion the cause
somewhat. The outcome depends upon a number of
variables, including your efforts.
As one who works day-to-day with job data, I can tell
you that jobs are beginning to rise slightly.
Unemployment has been down, and just in the last week,
California, Florida, and Colorado have all indicated
their hiring has increased. For-profit jobs are a
catalyst for hiring in the NPO sector because people
who work have some money to do some things which could
be visiting NPOs.
I think that, rather than preaching to the choir (and
the moaning is very justified and understandable),
you've got to take it to the world. You've got lemons
here, but those who have made lemonade market
themselves and do it in a very public way.
I know it costs money to advertise. But you can
either accept that fact and spend a little to save the
industry, or stand in the unemployment line as more
institutions close their doors, and more folks are
without jobs.
I'll keep trying to get you hired, but you've got to
do what you can in the collective to save yourselves.
In the old days, rich patrons used to subsidize the
arts, and the artists had to market themselves. In
the current days, with estate tax being repealed, it's
more a case of "Grandfather got mine, and you get
yours." People will be less inclined to fund.
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]
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