Research and Survey Highlights

2006 WHITE PAPER
Who's Next?  Questioning the Future of Museum Leadership in New York State
Who will mind the store? As Baby Boomers—who now make up a minimum of 25 percent of all museum positions—begin to retire, the field will find itself in a whole-scale search for new leadership. New York has about 1,900 museums and heritage organizations with about 12,000 employees. Between now and 2020, at least one in four of them will retire. 

Around the Water Cooler discussion guides are based on the white paper and are designed to help staffs and boards get talking about succession planning and institutionalizing professional development opportunities.

Download Who's Next?
Questioning the Future of Museum Leadership in New York State
(repaired link, Acrobat/Adobe PDF format, 636KB)

Download Discussion Guide 1:  How Can Our Institution Anticipate and Address Future Leadership Transitions?
(Acrobat/Adobe PDF format, 527KB

Download Discussion Guide 2:  How Can Organizations Spur Professional Development
and Training Opportunities for their Staffs?
(Acrobat/Adobe PDF format, 528KB

(Click here to get Adobe Reader)

1997 CAPITAL NEEDS SURVEY
Summary of Findings
March, 1998

Funding for the Capital Needs Survey and Summary of Findings was made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.

I. Summary

Museums and historical organizations, by their nature, are rich in two- and three-dimensional collections and physical spaces, which are used for a vast array of public and research functions. The physical parameters of New York’s museum community are sizeable, complex, aging, and in need of attention.

In a survey of its organizational members taken in April, 1997, the Museum Association of New York discovered a critical need for capital improvements in museums, historic houses and historical societies around the state to bring existing facilities up to acceptable professional and building code standards. Respondents ranged from large museums and zoos in metropolitan areas to science centers in upstate cities, to small historic sites and historical societies in rural areas.

Most frequently cited among the list of capital deficits was minimal or inadequate allocations of space for:

• on-site storage collections
• handicap access
• work space for volunteers and staff
• visitor services
• public programming

The result is that a majority of institutions, regardless of size or budget, are struggling (and juggling) to meet internal operating demands as well as their public roles due to severely limited physical resources. Collections, buildings and people are placed in jeopardy. A very high percentage of respondents identified a lack of adequate climate controlled storage space as a significant problem they recognized ought to be addressed in the near future. Because of publicity over the poor storage facilities of several high profile institutions there has been a growing public awareness of a threat to the State’s patrimony as we close out the 20th Century.

Most spaces were never designed for their current use, in addition to be being too small. Expansion is vital to meet conservation/collection care, education, (the requirements of the) Americans with Disabilities Act, and exhibition needs.

- respondent from medium-sized art museum

It is very difficult to meet modern museum needs in a historic house museum. Ideally, functional spaces such as storage areas, staff offices, the shop and meeting space would be put in a separate, modern facility, allowing us to better preserve our significant structure.

- respondent from an historic house museum

Lack of adequate minimal climate-control systems is a major stimulus for seeking an improved facility.

- respondent from a museum specializing in photography

Capital projects under consideration at the time of the survey included addressing the above issues as well as upgrading or expanding public exhibition spaces, restoring historic properties and landscapes, and upgrading electrical and mechanical systems.

Numerous problems effect this space, which was designed and constructed in the mid-60s. In addition to a "worn" appearance, lack of adequate storage and preparation areas, we do not have a freight elevator in the building, the direct lighting is old and limited, a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows (facing north) provides a wall of one gallery with no UV filter or shield!

- respondent from an art gallery

As size or geographic location of museums is not a factor in the aging of existing physical plants, neither is it a factor that limits the abilities of museums to plan and implement capital projects. In fact, among the survey respondents, 50% of those institutions stating they would undertake a capital project within five years (by 2002) were institutions with operating budgets of less than $1 million (22% were institutions with operating budgets less than $500,000). Of those institutions planning projects, 63% are located in upstate cities or suburbs, and rural areas.

Recently completed expansion of the museum includes state-of-the-art exhibition, storage, work and visitor service areas. The museum is striving to elevate the quality of the older section of the building to such levels in small steps.

- respondent from a large, rural history museum

Both programs and staff have outgrown available space...planned expansion would include the creation of additional exhibit, collection storage and office space, classrooms, and a 300-400 person auditorium.

- respondent from an art and science museum in a small upstate city

Almost three-quarters of those institutions contemplating a new capital program within five years had completed a major capital project within the previous 10 years, implying that capital development (and related fund raising) is an ongoing, if not annual activity. Of those indicating a previous project, the majority of projects (53%) required a capital expenditure of less than $1 million. Only 3% indicated they had never undertaken a major capital or expansion project. While many of the cited projects fell into the above categories, the anticipated costs ranged from a modest $15,000 to $60 million, depending on scope.

Many capital improvements speak to the expanding standards and roles museums are assuming in their communities. Overall public accessibility and space devoted to learning, hands-on exploration and meeting visitor needs are now seen as critical elements of the museum’s public dimension in contemporary society.

We are finding the community expecting us to play a more important role as a hub of activity. This includes expansion of school and community education programs (requiring more classroom style space), tourism appeal (more effective exhibitions requiring improved spaces), and hosting events (large spaces and functional theater).

- respondent from a museum and science center

Public space at the (museum) is completely lacking. Since it has functioned as an historic house museum, programming takes place within the house itself, placing collections at great risk. We want to improve accessibility and restrooms, as well as a (create a) place for programs and changing exhibitions.

- respondent from an historic house museum

In order to maintain a quality and comprehensive collection for people to enjoy as both an educational and recreational benefit and to engage in the meaningful conservation of the world’s fauna and flora through captive reproduction and display, it is necessary to upgrade the existing facility.

- respondent from an upstate zoo

Renovation completed in 1996 brought the shop and food service areas up to high professional standards, reflected in increased spending by visitors.

- respondent from an upstate open-air museum

Of those responding to how their most recent capital projects have been funded, the majority (67%) cited a traditional mix of private and public fund raising. In this scenario, public funding is often used as the catalyst to leverage more private contributions. A number of these public funding programs require matching dollars to be raised.

(We) could not have accomplished $1.5 million of improvements on the building without New York State Council on the Arts assistance. These grants...helped us get a National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge grant to continue...

- respondent from an upstate historical society

One-quarter of the respondents raised funding solely from private sources, i.e., individuals, corporations and foundations. Only 16% utilized loans exclusively or in addition to other sources, perhaps indicating a pervasive trend among cultural non-profits against borrowing funds from "outside" sources.

What needs to be taken into account, and sometimes isn’t, is the effect a major capital campaign can have on annual giving for ongoing operations. Organizations that focus solely on capital fund raising often loose ground in their annual income. By the same token, capital needs will only escalate over time if not attended to regardless of whether or not the organization is financially growing.

We have a good track record of getting NYC capital funds through our elected officials. We are currently lobbying for re-construction of a carriage factory - $1.5 million is needed. Operating budget has been shrinking for last 5 years.

- respondent from an urban open-air museum

It seems clear that as museums and historical organizations embrace ever more public roles in the lives of their communities, the pace of capital needs will become more pressing and more complicated. The costs of major expansions, relocations, restorations and building upgrades will remain significant due to the complexity and specialized nature of much of this work.

Our biggest problem is to provide adequate temperature and humidity control for the artifacts on exhibit. This is costly, and complicated by the historic structures in which most of our exhibits are located. Additional storage and conservation workspace is also needed. Since this is not public, "revenue-producing" space, it tends to receive a lower priority in planning.

- respondent from a rural historical society/historic site

Given the fact that nearly 100 new museums and historical organizations are chartered by the State Education Department each year, many with collections and buildings, the pressure to create new sources of capital funding beyond community fund raising and current public funding programs will accelerate.

II. Institutions Participating in the Survey

Abigail Adams Smith Museum, New York
Albany County Historical Association/Ten Broeck Mansion, Albany
Alley Pond Environmental Center, Douglaston
Amherst Museum, Amherst
Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn
Buffalo Zoological Gardens, Buffalo
Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery, Canajoharie
Chemung County Historical Society, Elmira
Clinton County Historical Museum, Plattsburgh
Dowd Fine Arts Gallery, SUNY Cortland
Empire State Aeroscience Museum, Scotia
The Farmer’s Museum, Cooperstown
Fort Plain Museum, Fort Plain
Genesee Country Museum, Mumford
Geneva Historical Society/Prouty-Chew Museum, Geneva
Glens Falls-Queensbury Historical Association, Glens Falls
Grant Cottage State Historic Site, Saratoga Springs
Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington
Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Cornell University, Ithaca
Heritage Center, Stephentown
Historic Cherry Hill, Albany
Hudson River Maritime Museum, Kingston
International Center of Photography, New York
Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, Long Island City
The Jewish Museum, New York
Kent-Delord House Museum, Plattsburgh
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica
The Museums at Stony Brook, Stony Brook
National Museum of Racing, Saratoga Springs
New York Hall of Science, Corona
The New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown
Old Stone Fort Museum Complex/Schoharie County Historical Society, Schoharie
The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton
Queens County Farm and Museum, Floral Park
Raynham Hall Museum, Oyster Bay
Roberson Museum and Science Center, Binghamton
Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology, Syracuse
Sag Harbor Whaling and History Museum, Sag Harbor
St. Lawrence County Historical Society/Silas Wright House, Canton
Schenectady Museum Association, Schenectady
Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn
Sciencenter, Ithaca
Sci-Tech Center of Northern New York, Watertown
The Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, Setauket
Southeast Museum, Brewster
Staten Island Historical Society/Historic Richmond Town, Staten Island
Tompkins County Museum/DeWitt Historical Society, Ithaca
Yeshiva University Museum, New York
Young-Morse Historic Site, Poughkeepsie