On Wed, 26 May 1999 09:09:28 -0500 Mike Willis <[log in to unmask]> writes: >Hi Erica, > >Your question about collection-less museums is very interesting.... > >What I would like to hear from other list members is, what are advantages of not possessing a collection? What is the line between "art centers" and "galleries"? And how, if at all, does the lack of a collection affect the educational goals of an institution? >> >Mike Willis >Curator of Education >ExhibitsUSA > Short answer, if your goal is to educate, and you are fulfilling your mission, then you truly don't need a collection; does that make you a museum? Nope; but it makes you another mechanism used by museums (by taking on your traveling exhibits) to support our mission, mainly, to disseminate, interpret, educate and present to the public. Advantages to not having a collection? A tricky one; if you are a center/gallery that takes on museum owned collections, you'll have to follow to the letter all the codes and restrictions imposed upon you by that museum, proper HVAC systems to monitor the temperature and relative humidity of the gallery; security cameras or guards (or a combination); restricted access to storage and appropriate temp and RH in that area. And insurance coverage!! However, if you and the lender can agree on different levels of caring for the items borrowed, then all of that might be more relaxed, therefore less expensive than handling a collection. I'll let someone else pipe in now; aaarghh I saw the other stuff about "collections-less" museums being an evil thing, and the "overall dismay" out there over this trend. Come on!! I do believe there is more competition out there for federal dollars, and many of these centers are funded by state or federal grants that go after EDUCATION grants. Perhaps museums aren't tapping enough into these grants to enable us to put on particular programs which cities are capitalizing on. For whatever reasons, there is an increased interest in people from all walks of life in acquiring "culture" and we are seeing the birth of "new types of centers" where this can be acquired. Don't you know people still think of museums as "stuffy places?" A "center" is less intimidating than going to the "Metropolitan" or the "Athenaeum." Think about it. O Olivia S. Anastasiadis, Curator Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace 18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard Yorba Linda, CA 92886 (714) 993-5075 ext. 224; fax (714) 528-0544; e-mail: [log in to unmask] ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://museums.state.nm.us/nmmnh/museum-l.html. You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).