From philanthropy to funding: The effects of corporate and public support on American art museums

Abstract

This paper demonstrates that both museums and museum exhibitions change as museums become increasingly supported by institutional funders rather than individual philanthropists. Museums become more attuned to audiences, exhibits, and educational programs. Exhibitions themselves change, but not due to direct pressure by funders. Rather, funders sponsor more of the exhibitions that suit their goals, thereby changing the overall mix of exhibitions. Notably, there has been a broadening effect on museums as corporations and government sponsor exhibition formats that appeal to large audiences, and as corporations sponsor popular exhibitions. Such changes have led to increased conflict within museums. Ironically, the source of the conflict - the increase in numbers of new institutional funders - has also given the most disgruntled group -curators - more leverage to do their jobs. The research relies on interviews, archival data from 30 museums, and analysis of more than 4,000 exhibitions from 15 large American art museums from 1960 to 1986. © 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.