Dear Chuck:
Yes, the Valentine was another example of unfulfilled expectations and the
dire result. There are other recent instances of museums expanding, or new
ones opening, only to find themselves the victims of their own (or their
consultants'?) optimism regarding projected attendance. The numbers game
has a way of creating losers as quickly as winners. Institutional
exhaustion, as you suggest, probably plays a role.
If there are other examples that Museum-Lers know about, please share
them with the list (under a new heading, I would suggest), or please reply
to us here at Museum News.