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The Clash: Staying Power of Small Museums and Cultural Institutions

December 15, 2024

Why is the Rubin Museum closing in NYC?

By Max Beckwith

Why are small museums closing or changing their business models across America? How are small museums like, The Rubin in New York, adapting (or not)? Since the pandemic, challenges have arisen for cultural institutions across the United States. Debates over selling artwork to remain financially viable have also emerged for many. The path forward for small museums is changing, and many express uncertainty as to how they will operate.

The Problem

Exacerbated by the lasting effects of the pandemic, small museums are closing due to a combination of financial challenges—including rising operating costs, decreased attendance, and limited funding opportunities. Additionally, changing visitor habits and competition for grants focused on diversity and inclusion have also made it increasingly difficult for smaller institutions to sustain operations.

In January of 2024, the Rubin Museum of Art announced that it would be closing its doors and adopting a new model going forward.[1] In a public statement on its website, the museum announced that it will sell its Manhattan building to become a “museum without walls.” The statement added that a new “global museum model” will see The Rubin loaning out items from its collection and organizing traveling exhibits.[2] This move illustrates the changes that small museums are being forced to make to stay afloat. The closure came due to a combination of post-pandemic shifts in audience engagement, rising operational costs, and the need to adapt to new digital and global models of cultural exchange.

While some museums are being forced to close or remodel, others are doing away with their educational programs. The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (“PAFA”), the oldest art school and museum in the United States, announced that it will close its college after the 2024–25 academic year.[3] PAFA president Eric Pryor noted, “rising costs, expanding requirements, and dwindling enrollment,” as the reasons for closure. This could be the direction that more museums will take as they face numerous obstacles going forward. The PAFA also cited that it would “refocus” on its core mission, another common theme in cultural institutions.[4] The balance between expansion and sustainability has been difficult to strike.

The battle to keep small museums and cultural institutions open is reaching college campuses and affecting important decisions in higher education. The Museum of Art at the University of New Hampshire (“UNH”) closed this past January. UNH was forced to close the museum as it faced declining enrollment and needed to make budget cuts.[5] The museum had also been looking to become accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.[6] This would have required a new HVAC system, something not feasible given the financial constraints.[7]

In the New Hampshire, Sophia Schlichtmann wrote an article examining the academics versus artistic enrichment debate.[8] Students protested at UNH demanding to “fund the arts,” emphasizing the power of arts in the community.[9] The collection at the Museum of Art at UNH was impressive, making the decision to close even more difficult. The museum held “photographs by Andy Warhol, etchings by Goya and Rembrandt, paintings by Boston expressionists Hyman Bloom and Karl Zerbe, and prints by Max Ernst, David Hockney, Joan Miró, Pierre Soulages, and more.”[10] Dean Michell Dillon noted that the university is both an educational and an academic institution, so while the sacrifice of the museum hurts it was necessary. Enrollment across all U.S. universities has decreased since 2011, and expenses continue to rise.[11]

The American Alliance of Museums published an alarming study in July 2020, early in the pandemic.[12] The survey showed that nearly a third of all American museums were likely to close due to funding issues and sustainability.[13] Fortunately, this was not what happened, with many museums surviving the Covid lockdowns by tapping into federal grant and reserve money. Institutions sold artwork and restructured funding to stay alive. Even larger institutions such as the Guggenheim raised their entry fees to stay afloat amidst inflation and rising costs due to expansion.[14] Thirty dollars is becoming the new normal for entrance fees. These alternatives were more readily available to larger museums. With many institutions wanting to create a more inclusive and accessible space, something has to be done.

The Impact

The impact of the pandemic on small museums and cultural institutions cannot be understated. There was a rapid shift to digital engagement during the pandemic which underscored the central role of digital strategies in museum operations, with 75 percent of museums increasing their digital offerings and 77 percent reviewing their digital strategies post-Covid.[15] However, the transition revealed significant gaps in digital skills and leadership, with 50 percent of U.S. museums reporting inadequate digital staff and only 9 percent of senior leadership teams having digital experience.[16] While the lockdown sent many institutions into desperation, digital data practices became of utmost importance. A study in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications looked at the impact of COVID-19 on digital data practices in museums and art galleries.[17] The only way for institutions to stay “open” was to use digital and virtual media as a means to connect people with art.[18] The physical closure of museum buildings during lockdown restrictions triggered significant shifts in their digital strategies.[19] In turn, many museums and institutions transformed their data practices, potentially in lasting ways.[20] The rise in online engagement shifted traditional audience profiles, forcing museums to innovate and embrace new forms of interaction to continue thriving in the post-pandemic era.[21] Since the pandemic, many museums have continued to expand their digital data practices, recognizing their potential to engage wider audiences and provide greater access to collections. While some institutions have scaled back on certain virtual offerings, the shift towards digital has proven lasting, with many museums investing in more robust digital infrastructure and integrating virtual content alongside in-person experiences to enhance accessibility and reach.[22]

Arts and cultural programs are often the first to go, whether in high schools, after-school programming, or higher education.[23] However, numerous studies have shown the positive impact arts education and cultural interaction can have on people, especially young people. A Rice University study showed that arts education in elementary and middle school settings improves academic engagement and achievement and encourages prosocial behaviors.[24] Another study at the University of Illinois showed that personal- and audience-based interactions with art lead to increased civic engagement and social tolerance.[25]

The Alternatives

The small museum and arts community is resilient. Many institutions survived the pandemic through innovation, resourcefulness, and federal reserve grants. Small museums had to adapt, change their missions, rethink, and reshape the way museums can be accessed and interacted with. One alternative for museums to stay afloat during financial struggles is to sell artwork from their collections. For example, the Baltimore Museum of Art planned to sell major works by Brice Marden, Clyfford Still, and Andy Warhol to fund staff salary increases and diversify its collection, but after significant public backlash, the museum decided to pause the sales.[26]

The Rubin also had to adapt and create a new model. While financially stable, the museum chose to embrace a more flexible future focused on international partnerships, long-term loans and expanded digital outreach.[27] If these cultural landmarks want to stay true to their missions they will have to change how they share their art. Despite some resources diminishing due to the pandemic, the museum maintained a high volume of funding between 2022–2023 and is pushing for a more sustainable model.[28] The organization is dedicated to sharing art, supporting artists, and advancing scholarship through different projects.[29] This new decentralized model allows for the expansion of these efforts and the engagement of a wider audience. It might just pave the path forward for other small museums facing similar challenges.

The PAFA is looking to adapt by creating an “arts ecosystem,” a term also becoming more popular in hybrid and dynamic museum models.[30] This means creating a new cultural hub for artists, creators, lifelong learners, and art appreciators that uses PAFA’s unique, dynamic facilities and its prime Center City location.[31] The museum will continue to operate in its historic Center City location in Philadelphia.

As this article was under development, this author found the fundraising efforts made by Bellevue Arts Museum (“BAM”) in Washington to be laudable. The museum had survived post-pandemic by being transparent, something that seems to elude many higher education institutions and other museums.[32] The Bellevue Art Museum faced “dire” financial challenges and publicly acknowledged its past failures and mistakes to build trust in the community.[33] The 2024-appointed director of BAM was able to launch an emergency fundraising campaign and obtain $350,000 to keep the institution alive.[34] Unfortunately, the fundraising push was ultimately not enough to save the institution. BAM announced closure in September 2024 stating, “Closing the museum is not a decision we take lightly. We have explored many different paths to keep our doors open. We have reached out to government, corporate, and community stakeholders but have consistently come up short.”[35] BAM’s website is still active and the museum is hosting ad hoc events for the time being. Small museums will continue to have to find alternatives to survive going forward.

Conclusion

The pandemic and its aftermath significantly reshaped the landscape for small museums and cultural institutions, challenging the already delicate ecosystem of operating cultural institutions in an increasingly digital and international world. With traditional models faltering, institutions like The Rubin Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts are pioneering new approaches to adapt and survive. Their shifts—from The Rubin’s transition to a “museum without walls” to PAFA reorganization as an “arts ecosystem”—illustrate the broader trend of reimagining museum operations in response to financial pressures and changing audience needs.

The pandemic has underscored the critical role of digital strategies and data practices, pushing institutions to innovate in their virtual engagement and adapt to new ways of connecting with audiences. As financial constraints continue to challenge museums and higher education institutions, transparency and community engagement offer promising paths forward. By embracing new models and maintaining open communication with their communities, small museums try to navigate these turbulent times and emerge more resilient and relevant. The future of small museums lies in their ability to innovate, adapt, and foster deeper connections with both their audiences and their communities. They cannot do it alone.

Suggested Readings:

About the Author:

Max Beckwith is a BA candidate at Haverford College, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Spanish. He studied in Madrid in the fall of 2023, taking courses at the Prado and the Reina Sofia. He has interests in art law, copyright, and Spanish.

Bibliograph:

  1. A Letter to Our Community: The Future of the Rubin, Rubin Museum of Art, https://rubinmuseum.org/a-letter-to-our-community-the-future-of-the-rubin/ (last visited Aug. 15, 2024). ↑
  2. Id. ↑
  3. Tom Dougherty, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Closing Its College at End of 2024–25 Academic Year, CBS Phila. (Jan. 10, 2024), https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/pennsylvania-academy-fine-arts-philadelphia-ending-college/. ↑
  4. PAFA to Wind Down Degree-Granting Programming, Refocus on Core Mission, PAFA: Pa. Acad. of the Fine Arts (Jan. 10, 2024), https://www.pafa.org/news/pafa-wind-down-degree-granting-programming-refocus-core-mission-011024. ↑
  5. Museum of Art, Univ. of N.H. Museum of Art, https://cola.unh.edu/museum-art (last visited Aug. 15, 2024). ↑
  6. Id. ↑
  7. Id. ↑
  8. Sophia Schlichtmann, How the Budget Reset Is Affecting UNH’s College of Liberal Arts: Enrichment vs. Academics, The New Hampshire, https://tnhdigital.com/23164/news/how-the-budget-reset-is-affecting-unhs-college-of-liberal-arts-enrichment-vs-academics/ (last visited August 15, 2024). ↑
  9. Id. ↑
  10. Id. ↑
  11. Higher Education Archives, Pew Research Ctr. Blog (May 23, 2024), https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/other-topics/education/higher-education/. ↑
  12. United States May Lose One-Third of All Museums, New Survey Shows, Am. Alliance of Museums, https://www.aam-us.org/2020/07/22/united-states-may-lose-one-third-of-all-museums-new-survey-shows/ (last visited August 14, 2024). ↑
  13. Id. ↑
  14. Zachary Small, $30 Entrance Fees: Are America’s Art Museums Only for the Wealthy?, N.Y. Times (Aug. 1, 2023), https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/arts/design/museums-raise-admission-fees-guggenheim.html. ↑
  15. Lukas Noehrer, Abigail Gilmore, Caroline Jay & Yo Yehudi, The Impact of COVID-19 on Digital Data Practices in Museums and Art Galleries in the UK and the US, 8 Humans. & Soc. Scis. Commc’n 1, 1–10 (Oct. 15, 2021), https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00921-8. ↑
  16. Id. ↑
  17. Id. ↑
  18. Id. ↑
  19. Id. ↑
  20. Id. ↑
  21. Id. ↑
  22. Amy Luck & Faye Sayer, Digital Engagement and Wellbeing: The Impact of Museum Digital Resources on User Wellbeing During COVID-19, 17 Heritage & Soc. 169, 169–90 (May 3, 2024), https://doi.org/10.1080/2159032X.2023.2228173. ↑
  23. Dougherty, supra note 3. ↑
  24. Daniel H. Bowen & Brian Kisida, Investigating Causal Effects of Arts Education Experiences, Rsch. Rep., Feb. 2019, 2. ↑
  25. Kelly Leroux & Anna Bernadska, Impact of the Arts on Individual Contributions to US Civil Society, 10 J. Civil Soc’y 144, 144–64 (Apr. 3, 2014). ↑
  26. Hilarie M. Sheets, Baltimore Museum of Art Cancels Painting Sale That Drew Complaints, N.Y. Times (Oct. 28, 2020), https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/28/arts/design/baltimore-museum-cancels-sale.html. ↑
  27. Rubin Museum of Art, supra note 1. ↑
  28. Id. ↑
  29. Id. ↑
  30. Id. ↑
  31. Id. ↑
  32. Helen Stoilas, How Radical Transparency Saved a US Museum, The Art Newspaper (May 24, 2024), https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/05/24/how-radical-transparency-saved-a-us-museum. ↑
  33. Id. ↑
  34. Id. ↑
  35. BELLEVUE ARTS MUSEUM ANNOUNCES CLOSURE, Bellevue Arts Museum (Sept. 4, 2024), https://www.bellevuearts.org/about-us/press/bellevue-arts-museum-announces-closure. ↑

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not meant to provide legal advice. Readers should not construe or rely on any comment or statement in this article as legal advice. For legal advice, readers should seek a consultation with an attorney.

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