It is a trend that is certainly being noticed around the country. |
Museums are becoming gathering places for the community. |
The fund-raising environment is consistently more competitive. The situation of any new museum today is a challenge, regardless of what kind of museum it is. |
The problem is that these institutions made it through the storm but the worst may be yet to come. |
This is the greatest damage to and loss of cultural institutions and cultural patrimony in the history of the country. |
We were inadvertently sending a message to the public that they were not welcome. We do want everyone in the museum and we want to create a comfortable place. |
We're learning now that the destruction was even greater than we thought. What we need most now is skeleton staffs to protect these collections — not just in New Orleans but all along the Gulf Coast. |