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Smithsonian Art Museums Are Underfunded »

Posted by: Deidre 2 years, 9 months ago
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The Smithsonian Institution's eight art museums are "drastically underfunded" and have "seldom lived up to their names," according to an external review released Wednesday. The voluntary review by a panel of seven prominent museum directors gives recommendations to strengthen each museum.

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Deidre

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Comments: 24
  • Avg rating: (+6/-0 6)mr-dallas
    mr-dallas
    March 22, 2007, 8:17 a.m.

    Hey, you heard it here first, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Smithsonian had a new exhibit between the Space and Cars exhibits. Hip Hop... The Past... The Present... and The Future. The exhibits contain special featured artists such as Biggie and 2Pac and of course FLAVA FLAV!

    Mr. Dallas

    • Avg rating: (+6/-6 0)TheTruth1973
      TheTruth1973
      March 22, 2007, 9:26 a.m.

      I think that some of the smaller museums just don't appeal to the mainstream. And with them being free, they rely much on funds and donations, which have to be channeled in. It takes some creativity to make it all work.

      • Avg rating: (+4/-0 4)GODIMMAD
        GODIMMAD
        March 22, 2007, 9:55 a.m.

        I have been there, it was awesome, but that was ten years ago. It might had changed, why cant they make you pay to see them as most museums. Many museums, get fed aid and get to charge admissions. So who cares

        • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)marjioh
          marjioh
          March 22, 2007, 11:53 a.m.

          Godimmad-- Smithsonian IS awsome. But it's free because YOU as an American citizen already own the museums. It's like being charged admission to a public school or public library. (Of course, I remember in the 1970s when the City of New York went bankrupt and began to charge admisson to the museums there and also tuition to City University colleges (after 125 years of free tuition!) People aren't happy, but they deal with it. But it's one of those "slippery slope" things. Once you open the door, things just keep escalating. And once you charge admisson, your people with the most need are the ones to be excluded first.

          • Avg rating: (+1/-1 0)thomas998
            thomas998
            March 22, 2007, 12:29 p.m.

            Funny they claim to need funding when they are so lavish with the officers of the place. $15,000 for new french doors in the guys own house. $48,000 for two chairs and a table in his office. $160,000 to redecorate his office. All told he spent over $2 million in the past 6 years that had nothing to do with the actual museum or what visitors see, just his own home and office.

            http://prorev.com/2007/03/smalls-his-name-but-huge

            if you don't believe it.

            Simple answer is to fire this worthless clown and you've instantly increase the funding available for the place.

            • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)marjioh
              marjioh
              March 22, 2007, 2:48 p.m.

              Thomas, it's true-- the people who run the nation's top museums are well-remunerated. But have you ever noticed that, on the whole, people don't mind when businesspeople make tons of money -- but if the top execs of educational institutions also make good money, everyone screams foul? I don't know why anyone sends their kids to college when they hate to see the well-educated get paid well.

              • Avg rating: (+6/-6 0)elel
                elel
                March 22, 2007, 3:17 p.m.

                That they are lookin at reorganizing "some" of the administrative, and eliminating duplicated efforts, to me sounds like a good start in using what monies they do get. That they don't charge admission fees is a nice perk, for my taxes paid.

                • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)NelsonR
                  NelsonR
                  March 22, 2007, 3:57 p.m.

                  I will interject this one example of obscene payscale within America, Home Depot. That CEO failed to improve this company yet he received millions to depart. Something wrong with this analogy for the sane. As I said this is America. In Europe and Japan the CEOs received aroung 25 to 35 percent higher wages than the average worker, in America where the corporate elite rule our government the average goes up to 400 percent and more. Yes I know some idiot is going to blog in and say they deserve it. No response.

                  • Avg rating: (+1/-1 0)marjioh
                    marjioh
                    March 22, 2007, 4:11 p.m.

                    I agree with MOST of what all of you are saying; however, museums are libraries are indeed educational institutions (whether private or publicly funded.) And I absolutely agree with you all about the obscenely overpriced items mentioned. As far as what these people spend in their own homes, I am not aware of other holdings in the family -- does he have a rich daddy? or wife? Were there lucrative investments? As for the commercial bigwigs taking risks, you will need to convince me further. Corporate laws include a whole lot of protections, including "limited liability." As to Toddfuller's allegations of socialism; in the last century this socialism existed names like "the Great Society." It was okay for Americans to care about what was happening to their fellow Americans. Doesn't sound too bad to me.

                    • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)nikitin
                      nikitin
                      March 22, 2007, 9:03 p.m.

                      Uneducated? Read my Bio. Enough said.

                      • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)nottinghills
                        nottinghills
                        March 22, 2007, 10:44 p.m.

                        No pictures? :(

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