Supporting Local Museums in the Midst of a Pandemic

Guest Article from Mehreen Tanvir with Mom at the Museum.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought unforeseen challenges for almost all of us. And even as we return to normal, our lives, communities and economy will see a lasting impact. Already in our neighborhoods, restaurants have closed that will never reopen, retail stores across the country are filing for bankruptcy, and the US unemployment rate is touching  20%. The pandemic is also quietly testing the limits of cultural institutions like arts and design museums around the world as their incomes plummet. 

Why Museums Matter

In times of national and personal crises the role of museum institutions that build community is key. Living in Washington, DC, a major source of pride and a community resource available to residents and visitors are the museums. They serve as agents of change and promote ideals such as peace, democracy and equality. They are repositories of history of the natural and man-made world, of human creativity, innovation and spirit. Museums are a trusted source of information and education and can be leveraged to fight future pandemics, contribute to emotional and mental wellness, and help fight issues like xenophobia and discrimination that can occur in the case of a pandemic.  

 

Before the lockdown museums contributed to the social and economic well-being of our communities. As a family living in DC, we frequented the range of museums for a variety of reasons. From enjoying yoga at the Botanic gardens to maker mornings at the Hirshhorn, to family days at the National Portrait Gallery to traveling back in time for a rendezvous with prehistoric dinosaurs at the National Museum of Natural History. You name it and we did it. The museums have also supported our children in their schools and have been a perennial favorite for field trips and supporting teachers with in class instruction. These marvels of architecture have been a refuge for moms with babies and toddlers on crazy cold and rainy days. Lines of strollers in lobbies and coat rooms are common sights in DC museums that have always warmed my heart. They have been great places for the much needed intellectual, emotional and social interaction for both kids and caregivers. 

Community Institutions and the COVID-19 Pandemic

In addition to the federally funded museums DC is home to more than a dozen private museums. These include the brand new National Children’s Museum, Spy Museum, National Building Museum, and National Museum of Women in the Arts. These museums rely on admission/membership fees, restaurant and gift shop sales, venue rentals and donations for their income. With the closure of the economy many of them are now facing financial troubles. Especially since spring is peak fundraising season for most museums. Even before the pandemic many museums operate on tight budgets with high running costs. Newseum’s closure in December 2019 due to financial reasons was a huge loss for Washington, DC’s cultural and historical scene.  The American Alliance of Museums has estimated that as many as 30% of the museums in the country may close permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The financial strain on museums is already too painfully evident with even the most well renounced and well-funded institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History in NYC furloughing and laying off staff. Here in Washington, DC, the National Museum of Women in the Arts has had to lay off workers who cannot work remotely. A family favorite, National Building Museum (NBM) has particularly been struggling due to the timing of the pandemic. 

The National Building Museum had closed to the public in late 2019 for much needed renovations to its iconic Great Hall. The museum was scheduled to reopen with a lineup of exciting exhibitions in March 2020. However, due to the timing of the stay-at-home orders the museum had to delay its opening indefinitely. This has left the museum without an income since December of 2019. As a result, the museum has had to terminate two-third of their workforce. More than 40 positions have been permanently eliminated leaving only 18 core staff positions which are also partially furloughed. 

As the economy is slowly reopening, cultural institutions like NBM are grappling with not just existing funding cuts but also an uncertain future. A large part of NBM’s revenue comes from renting out the Great Hall for events. However, as the future of large gathering remains uncertain this avenue of income will not pick up any time soon.

The National Building Museum landmark in Washington, DC is struggling to keep it’s operations running and finding ways to navigate this crises. I want to take this opportunity to revisit the phenomenal role NBM has played in the field of design and architecture and served the Washington DC area.

The museum has always welcomed young visitors with special exhibits like the PLAY, WORK, BUILD and building zone. It has engaged with frequent community days that are free of charge and geared towards children of all ages. The Big Build is one of our family favorites which was an annual hands-on festival of tools, trucks and trades. Children could don construction hats and hammer in nails, plaster walls, and lay in bricks. There were fantastic activities around principles of engineering and ample opportunities to learn directly from professionals. And to boot, there is a Truck “Petting Zoo” which allows kids to climb on trucks and other construction vehicles. 

Please support your local museums for a culturally vibrant future (and to have a place to go to on rainy days next Spring)!

Even though the museums are physically closed there are ample ways to stay connected. DC area museums continue to serve their mission through online platforms and are working on bringing in-person experiences onto the virtual platforms. They have been sharing a wealth of resources online and are offering classes, virtual tours, and educational resources to stay engaged with their communities. Some upcoming events include live yoga session broadcast from the NBM’s Great Hall this Sunday, May 31st. The National Museum of Asian Art is offering weekly meditation workshops.

There is also opportunity to give back and support these exceptional institutions. In the face of these challenging times and uncertain future the National Building Museum is running a resilience campaign to raise $100,000. In addition to donating to the resilience campaign, other ways to support museums you have enjoyed and or hope to enjoy in the future is to join or renew your museum membership, buy from online museum gift shops, and stay engaged with your favorite institutions on social media. Last but not least write to your congressional representative to continue to extend economic relief funding to museums.

We will get through this. I hope we emerge stronger and wiser in the aftermath of this. We can act now to alter the course of changes that could potentially leave us with less enriched and meaningful community lives.

About the guest author:

Mehreen came to the United States to pursue her MPA in International Development from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Since then she has lived in 5 cities in 3 countries around the world finally settling in Washington, DC since 2008. She and her husband love raising their 3 kids in downtown DC and having the National Mall as their front yard. She is passionate about incorporating museums and travel in their family’s play and learning. She volunteers as a Gallery Guide at the Hirshhorn Museum and enjoys learning about contemporary art. Dislikes: Cities that are not pedestrian-friendly. Please check out her website Mom at the Museum.