The 2023/24 New York State Budget included $1M in funding for The Museum Study Act. The department of economic development, in conjunction with other departments and entities, are expected to conduct a comprehensive study of public and private museums and report their findings and recommendations.
It’s hoped the study will identify and gather data about all museums in the state including size, hours of operation, visitor statistics, funding sources and amounts, and the subjects of their collections. The resulting report could help illustrate economic and social impacts, quantify needs, and recommend systems to ensure equitable distribution of state funds. It could also help communities, legislative representatives, and individual supporters learn about the missions, audiences, and funding needs of our state’s museums.
“From world famous institutions like the Metropolitan Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Baseball Hall of Fame to treasured history collections and local cultural hubs, museums have long been synonymous with New York State. Despite the fame and significant economic impact, our museum sector has actually had no real ‘home’ in the New York State government,” said Assemblymember Didi Barrett. “In this year’s state budget, legislation I sponsored with Senator Jeremy Cooney was included to study and document how the state currently does and does not fund our some 1,500 museums and provide a pathway to ensuring these beloved institutions in every corner of the state have the support and stability to flourish long into the future. I want to thank the Museum Association of New York, the Speaker and my Assembly colleagues for their support of this important study.”
Many New York State museums operate in a culture of scarcity, struggling to pay bills and wondering each year how they will keep their doors open, while others have enormous endowments and are in fact well funded. Local museums in particular need support to ensure the protection of their collections, to strengthen their roles as community education partners chartered by New York State’s Education Department, and to grow their role as economic engines. Recent studies show that museums generate $5.37B to the state’s economy.
Photo of New York State Capitol.
It would be great if they included the municipal historians in the study. There is little to no support for most of the historians in this state. It would be nice if New York recognized all the work that they have done especially when most are volunteers and don’t receive any sort of funding.