HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUM FORUM

Trends, Challenges, & Opportunities

Max A. van Balgooy for the

Virginia Association of Museums • March 11, 2013

Are There Too Many House Museums? Richard Moe, 2002

Participation Numbers Historic Sites vs National Population

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Par

tici

pati

on in

Mil

lion

s

National population Historic park or site

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

Participation Numbers Historic Sites

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

54

56

58

60

62

64

66

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Par

tici

pati

on in

Mil

lion

s

Participation Rates Historic Sites

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

Participation Rates Concerts, Dance, Arts, and Crafts

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Craft fairs & festivals

Historic park or site

Art museums

Classical music

Jazz

Ballet

Participation Rates Movies, Sports, and Gardening

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Movies

Gardening

Sporting events

Playing sports

Participation Rates Creating Music and Art

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Weaving & sewing

Photography & movies

Painting & sculpture

Pottery & jewelry

Classical music

Jazz

Participation Rates Historic Sites

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

Participation Rates Historic Sites

More than 40 percent

Alaska Georgia

New Mexico South Dakota

Utah Vermont

Less than 15 percent

Louisiana Mississippi Oklahoma

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

Virginia at 33 percent

Historic Site Visitors are Getting Older 2002 vs 2008

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+

2002 2008

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

Correlation between Visiting Historic Sites and Other Activities

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

60%

74%

82%

82%

90%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Volunteered

Went to the Movies

Read a Book

Voted in Last Election

Used the Internet

Yes

No

Correlation between Visiting Historic Sites and Other Activities

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

19%

24%

54%

57%

60%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Went to Jazz Concert

Went to Classical Concert

Attended Crafts Festival

Visited Art Museum

Volunteered

Yes

No

National Register of Historic Places Certifications per Year in the U. S.

-

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

1966

19

67

1968

19

69

1970

19

71

1972

19

73

1974

19

75

1976

19

77

1978

19

79

1980

19

81

1982

19

83

1984

19

85

1986

19

87

1988

19

89

1990

19

91

1992

19

93

1994

19

95

1996

19

97

1998

19

99

2000

20

01

2002

20

03

2004

20

05

2006

20

07

2008

20

09

2010

Internal Revenue Service Number of Non-Profit Organizations

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Number of Returns (over $25,000 in receipts), Internal Revenue Service, 2013

Are There Too Many House Museums? Richard Moe, 2002

Are There Too Many Struggling House Museums?

Are There Too Many of the Same House Museums?

Is There Too Little Support for House Museums?

Change? How? When? Why?

Turning Points

1. Doing History

Thinking Historically

Temple University Press, 2001 Sam Wineburg, Stanford University

Thinking Historically

2. Making History Meaningful

Will they turn the page?

Travel Motivations John Crompton, 1979

Cultural

§  Do something new and different

§  Learn something new and

different

Socio-Psychological

§  Escape

§  Exploration & Self-evaluation

§  Relaxation

§  Prestige

§  Become a kid again

§  Strengthen family relationships

§  Meet new people

Motivations 16-24 yrs. 35-44 yrs. 60+ yrs.

Recuperative 9 5 7 Tenacious 6 3 6 Hands-on 8 4 3 Sociable 1 6 5 Intellectual 7 9 1 Pleasure 5 7 2 Competitive 2 1 4 Escapist 3 2 9 Ambitious 4 8 8

Leisure Motivations American Demographics, 1992

What they wanted

1.  Affordable (89%) 2.  Lots to see and do 3.  Scenic beauty 4.  Relaxing places 5.  Food & dining 6.  New experiences 7.  Good hotels 8.  Historic sites and attractions (65%) 9.  New places 10.  Convenient location 11.  Good beaches 12.  Aquaria, zoos, wild animals 13.  Gardens or parks 14.  Cultural events or festivals 15.  Nature or science museums 16.  Unique, off-the-beaten path 17.  Architecturally or historically

significant buildings (47%) 18.  Shopping 19.  Kid friendly 20.  Nightlife 21.  Art museums (33%)

San Francisco Arts and Cultural Travel Study, 2010

What they wanted

1.  Affordable (89%) 2.  Lots to see and do 3.  Scenic beauty 4.  Relaxing places 5.  Food & dining 6.  New experiences 7.  Good hotels 8.  Historic sites and attractions (65%) 9.  New places 10.  Convenient location 11.  Good beaches 12.  Aquaria, zoos, wild animals 13.  Gardens or parks 14.  Cultural events or festivals 15.  Nature or science museums 16.  Unique, off-the-beaten path 17.  Architecturally or historically

significant buildings (47%) 18.  Shopping 19.  Kid friendly 20.  Nightlife 21.  Art museums (33%)

San Francisco Arts and Cultural Travel Study, 2010

#1. Affordable (but they’re not talking about price)

#2. Lots to See and Do (but not necessarily at your site)

Travel Motivations John Crompton, 1979

Cultural

§  Do something new and different

§  Learn something new and

different

Socio-Psychological

§  Escape

§  Exploration & Self-evaluation

§  Relaxation

§  Prestige

§  Become a kid again

§  Strengthen family relationships

§  Meet new people

Making History Meaningful Significance Relationship Connection Substance Spirit Point Intent Effect Impact Lesson Moral

Trustworthiness On a scale of 1 to 10

§  8.4: Museums

§  8.0: Grandparents

§  7.8: Eyewitness

§  7.3: College professor

§  6.4: Books

§  5.0: Movies or television

Roy Rosensweig and David Thelen, The Presence of the Past: Popular Uses of History in American Life (1998).

Doing History

Roy Rosensweig and David Thelen, The Presence of the Past: Popular Uses of History in American Life (1998).

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Member of a history group

Written in a journal or diary

Researched family history

Hobbies related to the past

Read books about the past

Visited history museum or historic site

Attended a reunion

Watched movies about the past

Taken photographs to preserve memories

Looked at photographs

Self-Identity by Age

0

20

40

60

80

100

18-34 yrs 35-49 yrs 50-64 yrs 65+ yrs

Ethnicity/Race

Occupation

Place

Religion

American

National Social Capital Community Survey, Harvard Kennedy School, 2006

Self-Identity by Ethnicity/Race

National Social Capital Community Survey, Harvard Kennedy School, 2006

0

20

40

60

80

100

Whites Non-Whites

Ethnicity/Race

Occupation

Place

Religion

American

3. Aspirational Vision

Why do history?

Is there Passion in this Mission? Lillian Hardin House Museum

The mission of the Lillian Hardin House Museum is to:

§  Operate the Lillian Hardin House, a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark, as a historic house museum;

§  Collect, arrange, preserve, catalog, and make available to the public materials relating to the life and career of Lillian Hardin ;

§  Serve as a reference source for information about Lillian Hardin ; and

§  Present public programs, such as concerts and lectures, that preserve and promote the cultural legacy of Lillian Hardin .

Is there Passion in this Mission? Two Historic House Museums

§  The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center preserves and interprets Stowe’s Hartford home and the Center’s historic collections, promotes vibrant discussion of her life and work, and inspires commitment to social justice and positive change.

§  The Anne Frank House cares for the Secret Annex, the place where Anne Frank went into hiding during World War II and where she wrote her diary. It brings her life story to the attention of people all over the world to encourage them to reflect on the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination, and the importance of freedom, equal rights, and democracy.

Is there Passion in this Mission? Lillian Hardin House Museum

The mission of the Lillian Hardin House Museum is to:

§  Operate the Lillian Hardin House, a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark, as a historic house museum;

§  Collect, arrange, preserve, catalog, and make available to the public materials relating to the life and career of Lillian Hardin ;

§  Serve as a reference source for information about Lillian Hardin ; and

§  Present public programs, such as concerts and lectures, that preserve and promote the cultural legacy of Lillian Hardin .

Vision

Is there Passion in this Mission? Louis Armstrong House Museum

The mission of the Louis Armstrong House Museum is to:

§  Operate the Louis Armstrong House, a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark, as a historic house museum;

§  Collect, arrange, preserve, catalog, and make available to the public materials relating to the life and career of Louis Armstrong;

§  Serve as a reference source for information about Louis Armstrong; and

§  Present public programs, such as concerts and lectures, that preserve and promote the cultural legacy of Louis Armstrong .

The Wisdom of Five Whys

1.  Why did you stop the assembly line?

2.  Why wasn’t the engine delivered on time?

3.  Why was the machine broken?

4.  Why was the repairman not available?

5.  Why wasn’t someone else available if he was sick?

The Wisdom of Five Whys

1.  Why is your site significant? Why should people visit? Why do you work there? Why do you care about history?

2.  And why is that important?

3.  And why is that important?

4.  And why is that important?

5.  And why is that important?

Why? Good to Great by Jim Collins

§  Personally inspiring?

§  Valid today and long into the future?

§  Allow you to think expansively about possibilities and range of activities?

§  Is it authentic?

§  Would it be greeted with enthusiasm, ridicule, or cynicism?

Are There Too Many House Museums? Richard Moe, 2002

Participation Rates Historic Sites or Parks

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (2008)

Turning Points 1. Doing History

2. Making History Meaningful

3. Aspirational Vision

Are There Too Few House Museums? VAM, 2020?

HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUM FORUM

Trends, Challenges, & Opportunities

Max A. van Balgooy

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