Sometimes I feel like I am two people, museum-wise. Take today for example. Between the AAM webinar on Excellence and Equity and class tonight, I spent about 7 hours thinking about audience advocacy, civic dialogue, the role of education, etc. All good, soul-edifying things.
But I also spent several hours working on things to drive revenue, and ways to get parents to pony up cash for premium experiences.
And I should probably feel bad about that, but I really don't.
So, I guess what I am wondering, is this: Is it ok to play both roles? Can you advocate for audiences and still play the business angle? I think my response is yes.
I sometimes feel like a broken record in class. When in a classroom full of students and often professors for whom museum work is largely still theorhetical, I feel I need to remind them that museums are an odd combination of business and educational/cultural institution. People always seem to forget the business end of things.
The modern museum is constantly faced with a need to compete for your constantly decreasing free time. We need to keep you coming in the doors. LIke it or not, the money you give to museums, through tickets, donations, retail and food service, helps us not only keep the doors open, but care for collections and continue our mission.
So how do I reconcile championing things like photo sales and face painting - and charging for them- with my passion for audiences and education? It's not always easy. I almost have to be two people, part savvy businesswoman who looks at theme parks and malls and says "what a great idea!" and part subversive educator who looks at websites and tiny museums and library programs and says "what a great idea!" When I am lucky, the two things meet up. When I am not, they juxtapose in ways that are uncomfortable.
I cannot say that I am sorry for thinking of ways to generate revenue. It is not my intention to nickle and dime visitors. I can only hope that what we are coming up with is an experience that is beyond a simple retail transaction. I hope that I manage to balance the two sides of my personality.
Anyone out there have similar experiences? Or thoughts?
