It’s hard to tell what the future holds. At present, things look bleak. Whole library systems are being shut down, as well as long-standing museums. Douglas County Public Library Director, Jamie LaRue, wrote an excellent post on this topic a while back. One could easily argue that Americans don’t value their public institutions.
If it is indeed true that we no longer value our libraries and museums, I’ve wondered why this is. I read a book some time ago called Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect, and much of the book’s emphasis is on one particular lacking in our educational system. Specifically, why we don’t incorporate actual experiences with nature into compulsory curricula (tramping out into the wilderness, learning how to camp responsibly, maybe getting tired, cold, and scared, drawing what you see, recording sounds, etc.).
I think the same could be said about the arts. Namely, that our educational system does not give us the means to develop the artists within us. Instead, we focus our energies on standardized testing, making sure all of us (and our kids) all live up to some prescribed standard. Who makes that standard? Why should there even be a standard? I’m not an expert in education, so please forgive (and correct, if necessary) any biases and fallacies you see in my thinking. What I can tell you is that if I was growing up in school today, I would be BORED TO DEATH.
Libraries and museums are among the last havens of the arts. These are the places you can go to let your imagination run wild. As cultural heritage professionals, we have a responsibility to grant access to the resources that allow “wildness” to, well…run wild. It is that “wildness” that makes us individuals and gives us the means to realize our capacity as human beings.
So, while our institutions are getting pummeled by apathy, lack of funding, and whatnot, what can we do? Again, we should build relationships with the individual donors who support our institutions. As cities and other organizations cut traditional funding, we’re just learning how to do our own fundraising. And if the science of fundraising holds true for cultural institutions, fully 85% of fundraising dollars will come from individual donors. Grants, foundations, and other funding organizations fall a distant second. You can get an easy start today by reading my posts here and here.
Good luck.
