Sunday, January 21, 2007

New Italian Museum for Albany NY

The ANNOTICO Report

 

I'm a firm believer in Cultural Centers for Italian and Italian Americans. AND of the using the latest in technology to present their story in an enthralling way, and has the youngsters mostly in mind.

 

It's almost too late for us "oldsters", But the KIDS  Must learn and pass on our Italian and Italian American Culture.

 

A viable Alternate to the "bricks and mortar " Cultural Center is the "virtual", the "on the Internet" Cultural Center.

 

Is there ANYTHING that you are doing that is more Important????

 

 

Seeking Relevance and Revenue

Smaller museums struggle to avoid becoming part of the past.

 

Times Union, Albany NY

By Kenneth Crowe, Staff Writer

Sunday, January 21, 2007

 

... The American Italian Historical and Cultural Society has a dream, but not much more. Its dream costs $350,000 and it has $110,000 in cash.

Every year is a financial struggle for the Capital Region's small and medium museums. In most cases, their goals outstrip their fundraising abilities, except for the Albany Institute of History & Art and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, none have any guarantee that one year's funding source will be available the next.

There are about 75 museums and historical societies in the Capital Region, each seeking to get a share of public support to keep open. Without adequate funding,...the community identity and ties these institutions provide will unravel.

"The future might be we'll see some museums merge with others or go dormant. Mergers and dissolution is talked about  ".

"A small museum is not likely to have a foundation or a large endowment or a major donor supporting it" That's why museums look for a niche to occupy to find support, according to Ackerson. It's why children's museums -- the fastest-growing segment of the museum community -- have flourished the last two decades....

The American Italian Heritage Museum and Cultural Center plans to open this year, with hopes of serving the Capital Region's 135,701 residents who claimed Italian heritage in the 2000 Census.

"The mission of this building is to house and tell the story of the Italian immigrants. The second is to tell the story of Italian Americans. It isn't being told," said Philip J. DiNovo, the museum's president.

The museum's organizers, the American Italian Heritage Association of Central New York Inc., searched for a site until they found the former Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church at 1227 Central Ave. in Colonie. The 1,575-member group bought the museum three years ago and began renovations.

"How are we going to start building ties with the community unless we have some place where we can offer things?" DiNovo said....

Museums -- especially niche museums -- can no longer rely on passive exhibits where patrons saunter from one display to the next, never interacting.

"More and more people expect to be immersed in an experience, whether it's going to a restaurant, shopping in a sporting goods store or going to church," Ackerson said. "That's the challenge, for a museum to offer a transformational experience."

[Museums must]  ensure its exhibits... are relevant to younger visitors and others....Visitors...[must] be able to access information through their iPods or wireless computers.

"It's just a matter of wanting to be ahead of the curve and communicating the story to be really relevant to diverse audiences"..."There are new and changing constituencies. We're constantly chasing new technology and new audiences".

...From intergenerational family programs to expanding exhibits, working more closely with schools and tapping into new residents.

...The nation's estimated 17,500 museums -- ... is to grapple endlessly with financial issues. Once a museum opens, the hunt for money to keep operating never ends.

Bake sales, museum shops, memberships, admissions, fundraising events, contributions by governments and companies and targeted programs such as family oriented activities are revenue sources that just aren't always consistent....

"It used to be the wealthy patrons of a community would almost compete to support organizations like this. Now it's tougher"...

One thing [the Museum's are] attempting to do a better job in is to sell our story and present the case of the historical society to the new businesses, companies and foundations that are coming to Tech Valley" .

"The historical society is doing a better job at positioning itself to be an important part of those quality-of-life things"

Museums see their future in reaching out to schools. The state recognizes their efforts and wants to assist.

"We're going to be clogging Second Street with big, yellow school buses," Engel said. "We figure that the most important thing we can do is teach school-age kids that they are participants in a living local history."

The state Board of Regents is studying how to help museums. "We want to add funding for classroom use of museums, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade."

Ultimately, museums facing harsh financial realities, shoul consider more collaboration...

 "It might lead organizations to partner up in ways they never thought of."

Kenneth C. Crowe II can be reached at 581-8438 or by e-mail at kcrowe@timesunion.com.

 

 

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