Portland was shocked a month ago when the Children’s Museum announced it was closing permanently after 75 years. Shuttered nearby is the Discovery Museum at the Forestry Center adding to a sense of loss. Last month, the Oregon Historical Museum was damaged for the second time by rioters leaving behind broken windows, damaged sculptures, and graffiti. Though the science museum (OMSI) and art museum were able to reopen, ticketing is limited. With interactive exhibits unavailable, OMSI lacks the vitality that comes from excited children exploring its displays.
The year 2020 will be remembered as a time of crisis, innovation, anxiety, and introspection. With more people vaccinated, there is hope that cultural institutions will return to business as usual, but from where I sit, that dream is a long way off for museums. Much has to be done to restore public confidence in indoor gatherings, and they face challenges due to diminished resources and layoffs.
Cultural and creative sectors in the economy were greatly affected by the coronavirus crisis. The toll on museums remains distressing. The American Alliance for Museums (AAM) writes that a third risk closing permanently. The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) reported that science centers were forced to downsize in 2020 to survive. Attendance was down 75 percent from 2019, and though there’s been an uptick since reopening, the numbers remain low.
When the pandemic struck, earned revenue disappeared overnight and small museums without an endowment suffered greatly. Relying heavily on day-to-day tour groups, daily visitations, and gift shop sales, there wasn’t enough income to sustain operations. Those that hung on did so because of generous gifts from wealthy donors and granting organizations. Small business loans and the Federal Paycheck Protection Program provided lifelines for some, but not all. Their recovery, projected to take many years, will permanently alter the way they do business.
When museums closed, they continued to operate as virtual educators, offering programs, curator video chats, and curricula to students, parents, and teachers. Some responded to the need for in-person schooling by organizing enrichment classes within their facilities. These fee-based programs benefited the children of their wealthier, better-educated patrons. The AAM published a fascinating step-by-step description of how the Science Museum of Minnesota adapted to different stages of the pandemic. It can be viewed at https://www.aam-us.org/2020/10/20/downsizing-our-museum-in-the-face-of-a-pandemic. The article explains how many of the larger institutions managed.
Since most museums have no more than six months of funds in reserve for emergencies, the majority had to lay off half or more of their workforce. And, though it was a way to stay in touch with supporters, digital programs and classroom offerings were not robust enough to cover expenses. Unlike restaurants, when a museum closes, it closes forever. Government resources are needed in times of crisis to end a downward spiral.
The Federal Stimulus Bill passed under the Biden administration, thankfully included $135 million relief grants for the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities and $200 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Some funds are earmarked for state and regional arts organizations that support local arts organizations and nonprofits while other money will offset administrative expenses for pandemic related programming.
Double its pre-pandemic allotment, the funds allocated for the arts, double were a relief after Donald Trump’s unsuccessful fight to dissolve the NEA. Even so, the amount is short of the $4 billion the arts sector requested in a #CongressSaveCulture campaign launched last year. A great deal more is needed to keep our cultural institutions going.
In the depths of the Great Depression, the Federal government supported the arts in unprecedented ways with New Deal projects. Tax dollars employed artists, musicians, actors, writers, photographers, and dancers. President Roosevelt’s mission was “to promote American art and culture and to give more Americans access to. . . an abundant life.” In addition to saving artists from poverty, thousands of citizens viewed original art and experienced professional theater for the first time. They enrolled in music, drawing, filmmaking, and acting classes. According to the National Archives, a recurring theme was the strength and dignity of common men and women as they faced difficult circumstances. It was an amazing period of creativity during a time of tremendous change.
Humanity again faces a situation that undermines the worth of a people unprepared for change. Technological and scientific advances are forcing our citizens to cope in unfamiliar ways. Swimming through a deadly pandemic and wading through lies spread on social media made matters worse. Global warming, advanced technologies, biological breakthroughs, along with changing worksite needs have been ravaging families for quite some time. The pandemic made people more aware of the financial and racial inequities plaguing the nation. It left Americans confused about the country’s future.
Museums have always played a role in helping the public grapple with change. Artists interpret through visual expression the emotional and social disruptions impinging on our lives. Science and technology centers provide information about life-altering discoveries we will have to adapt to, and history museums contextualize change with the past.
The pandemic gave museums time to get their houses in order so they can be more effective in helping civilization grow and maintain a better social order. They’ve been considering more equitable, safe, and creative ways to work with the public. They’ve been reimagining how they operate, what subjects to cover, and whose art and scientific endeavors to feature. Diversity is very much on their minds.
The pandemic gave cultural institutions time to get their houses in order so they can be more effective in helping civilization grow and maintain a better social order. Museums specifically have been considering more equitable, safe, and creative ways to work with the public. They’ve been reimagining how they operate, what subjects to cover, and whose art and scientific endeavors to feature. Diversity is very much on their minds.
Creativity in the country will blossom again if a WPA-type arts program is reinstated. Inspiration is needed to helpus get through this transformative era. I’ve been following AAM and ASTC discussions and remain impressed with the inventiveness and goodwill of staff. Their hearts are in the right place and their missions appear solid. Museum junkies like myself will most certainly benefit. I look forward to seeing how they interpret the many changes that greet us daily. How with museums help society readjust and thrive?
References:
Kravinsky, N. (2021) Pandemi Has Many Small Museums At Risk of Closing Permanently. NPR. retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2021/03/29/980234526/pandemic-has-many-small-museums-at-risk-of-closing-permanently
Spolar, c. (2020 Museums are staying Alive During the Pandemic. National Geographic, retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-museums-are-staying-alive-during-coronvirus
website 2019. Science Centers and COVID—19. ASTC. retrieved from https://www.astc.org/coronavirus/
Li, S. (2020) American Museums are going through an Identity Crisis. The Atlantic. retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/11/american-museums-are-going-through-identity-crisis/617221/
McGlone, P. & Smee, S. ( 2020)Coronavirus shutdowns and charges of white supremacy: American art museums are in crisis. The Washington Post. retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/american-art-museums-covid-white-supremacy/2020/10/11/61094f1c-fe94-11ea-8d05-9beaaa91c71f_story.html
(2020 ) Leading in Times of Crisis. American Alliance of Museums. retrieved from website https://www.aam-us.org/programs/about-museums/leading-in-times-of-crisis/
Cascone, M. (2021) The $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill Congress Just Passed Includes $470 Million for America’s Arts and Culture Sector. artnet news. retrieved from https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stimulus-package-includes-big-bucks-nea-1950807.
A New Deal For the Arts. National Archives. retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/new_deal_for_the_arts/index.html#
Lives of Museum Junkies: Second Edition is available in bookstores and online in paperback and ebook formats.