It's a Country Thing

When museums reach out to low-income audiences, they are not looking to reach just urban visitors. Poverty and low family incomes is as much or more of a concern for rural Americans than urban according to recent research by the United States Department of Agriculture. (USDA Poverty Research) In their article, Rural Poverty at a Glance, the USDA found that 14.2% of rural Americans are living in poverty vs. 11.6% of people living in metro areas. Also, the median family income is $9,000 less in non-metro areas compared to metro area family incomes. An additional concern is that in chronically poor rural communities, 45% of adults have a high school degree or less. (Carsey Institute research on Education for rural poor) Therefore, museums have a responsibility to reach out to rural audiences (and to urban audiences addressed in future blog posts) to offer support and educational opportunities.

One museum that is currently making headlines is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The museum opened in November of 2011 and has been controversial for many reasons. First, the museum is funded and backed almost entirely by Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart’s founder Sam Walton, and other foundations associated with Wal-Mart. Many critics of the museum say that Ms. Walton has used her fortune to steal culturally significant masterpieces from institutions which can no longer afford to keep them. Other critics say she is stealing pieces from their rightful metropolitan, cultured audiences. In response, Ms. Walton has stated that the people of Bentonville, Arkansas and the surrounding area have as much right to see fine art as anyone else. Also, she states that the Crystal Bridges Museum will offer access for the largely rural population that might not otherwise have the means to visit large institutions like the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to bringing the artwork to the visitors, the museum has received a $20 million dollar grant that will enable them to wave the $10 admission price for all visitors. (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art news article)

Obviously, the museum community does not have the financial capital to build a museum in every rural community, nor is it always possible to offer free admission. So what other ways can museums serve rural, low-income audiences?

One opportunity for museums to contribute is school partnerships and after-school programs. A group called Afterschool Alliance states,

“In areas where prospects and resources are limited, after school programs are often the only source of supplemental enrichment in literacy, nutrition education, technology, and preparation for college entrance exams.”

Rural public schools commonly have less funding than urban public schools, and therefore are lacking in basic funding for curriculum as well as auxiliary funds for transportation to museums. Instead, museums have the ability to take the museum to the students. For some, this means teacher training in exhibit materials. For others, there are mobile museums that take the lesson, objects and props to the schools. (Afterschool Alliance)

One example is the Museum of New Mexico’s Outreach Department, which seeks to bring “the resources of the State of New Mexico's museums and monuments to the public, with a focus on rural and underserved communities”. They have a Van of Enchantment, which is a converted RV with artifacts from various museums and monuments around the state of New Mexico. The Museum of New Mexico also offers Treasure Trunks, which are boxes with artifacts and replicas that can be taken into the classroom for use by students and teachers. (Museum of New Mexico Outreach Department)

Written by Jen Christensen