Rochelle Riley: Continue to bankroll the Wright Museum

[poobert]

http://www.freep.com/article/2014013...ankruptcy-plan

After a blissful hiatus, Rochelle Riley has come back to shit out a banal and fact-devoid column of pleasantries.

One of Detroit's many little secrets is that it has been providing the Charles H. Wright Museum with over $1,000,000 per year from city coffers. Riley and others seem to imply this continue, despite inevitable pensioner haircuts, the DIA raising $100,000,000 simply to not be gutted, and the Detroit Historical Museum willfully surrendering the meager city funding it used to get.

So why does the Charles H. Wright get special treatment? Well, I think we know the answer to that. Racial politics.

For the record, I think we absolutely should have an African-American History Museum, and am delighted that we have one in the city. However:
1) If you want me to get into the specifics, I can, but while the Charles H. Wright is decent quality, it is a sometimes baffling mix of history and traditional Black Nationalism.
2) The building is simply far too large to be sustained. It was too grandiose project. There are plenty of ethnic museums throughout the United States which are much more modest and sustainable affairs.
3) Like the DIA and the DHM, which found creative ways to obtain funding to stay viable, totally independent of the City, they should too. There should actually be outrage that a city with abysmal services has been providing the CHW with millions of dollars each year - far more than the DIA and DHM combined, have received.

Leave it to Riley and her combination of laziness and deceit to leave out these critical details.

There is also a bit of creative deceit on the part of the CHW. They claim they can afford programming but not operations. While some grants and funds are earmarked, the fact of the matter is, most Annual Fund gifts to Museums are not specific in what they can be used for. Basically they can't raise enough money and balance their budget.

Well that's their damn fault. My tax dollars should pay for the DIA because we passed that millage. My private donations [[hundreds of dollars per year) are what pays my share of the DHM. However my municipal tax dollars should not pay for an ethnic museum when the police don't come when I call.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

I am genuinely surprised that the museum needs city subsidies. It is a great museum, and I think it is really a national museum. I am surprised that donations can't be raised to cover it's operating costs and fund an endowment. I would definitely favor getting rid of the subsidy, although I would probably phase it out, rather than cut it off cold.

[Chicago48]

I am genuinely surprised that the museum needs city subsidies. It is a great museum, and I think it is really a national museum. I am surprised that donations can't be raised to cover it's operating costs and fund an endowment. I would definitely favor getting rid of the subsidy, although I would probably phase it out, rather than cut it off cold.

Every museum in the U.S., regardless if it's "black" or international or whatever, gets subsidies.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Every museum in the U.S., regardless if it's "black" or international or whatever, gets subsidies.

They don't all get government subsidies. You can fundraise. If the CHW Museum gets $1M a year from the city [[the stat cited at the start of this thread), that is an achievable amount to raise over the course of a year. I think maybe the museum needs a new fundraising arm.

[Wesley Mouch]

They don't all get government subsidies. You can fundraise. If the CHW Museum gets $1M a year from the city [[the stat cited at the start of this thread), that is an achievable amount to raise over the course of a year. I think maybe the museum needs a new fundraising arm.

More proof that public subsidies are dangerous. Here, they discourage the museum from reorganizing and fixing their attendance problems, it seems.

I've said this before w.r.t. the Opera House and its financial challenges... I think its totally appropriate for the city government to pay for the physical infrastructure costs for museums and arts facilities. But zero for operations.

[Gistok]

The museum has appallingly low visitor counts.

[313WX]

The museum has appallingly low visitor counts.

Well part of the reason is because not too many people give a fuck about black history/culture, aside from blacks. There's nothing the city can do about that.

The DIA, on the other hand, offers attractions that people from all backgrounds can appreciate, which is part of the reason is has higher visitor counts.

[jt1]

Well part of the reason is because not too many people give a fuck about black history/culture, aside from blacks. There's nothing the city can do about that.

The DIA, on the other hand, offers attractions that people from all backgrounds can appreciate, which is part of the reason is has higher visitor counts.

Why wouldn't people of all backgrounds appreciate black history/culture.

I agree with Poobert but it is a great museum. Sadly, there are almost no schools outside of Detroit that take field trips there. If any region needs kids from all part of the region to understand other cultures and history it is certainly SE Michigan.

[313WX]

Why wouldn't people of all backgrounds appreciate black history/culture.

Why should they?

Why would kids from Walled Lake Elementary, that's probably over 90% caucasian, want to attend a Museum about black history?

Just as well, why would kids from an elementary school in DPS, that's probably over 90% black, want to attend a Museum about Arab American history [[museum in Dearborn)?

The Charles H. Wright Museum is indeed great. That said, it is still targeted towards a specific and relatively tiny demographic in the Metro area.

[Pam]

Why should they?

Why would kids from Walled Lake Elementary, that's probably over 90% caucasian, want to attend a Museum about black history?

Just as well, why would kids from an elementary school in DPS, that's probably over 90% black, want to attend a Museum about Arab American history [[museum in Dearborn)?

The Charles H. Wright Museum is indeed great. That said, it is still targeted towards a specific and relatively tiny demographic in the Metro area.

To be well informed. All ethnic groups are part of US/World history.
If you only know one part, you don't get the whole picture.

[motz]

Why should they?

Why would kids from Walled Lake Elementary, that's probably over 90% caucasian, want to attend a Museum about black history?

Just as well, why would kids from an elementary school in DPS, that's probably over 90% black, want to attend a Museum about Arab American history [[museum in Dearborn)?

The Charles H. Wright Museum is indeed great. That said, it is still targeted towards a specific and relatively tiny demographic in the Metro area.

You need to teach kids about history so they [[hopefully) do not repeat the sins of previous generations. The fact that visiting Charles H Wright isn't a point for most history classes during their discussion of civil rights just goes to show how much they leave out. Teaching kids about what happened to a certain group of minorities is very important, regardless of what race or city they are from.

[Honky Tonk]

Why wouldn't people of all backgrounds appreciate black history/culture.

I agree with Poobert but it is a great museum. Sadly, there are almost no schools outside of Detroit that take field trips there. If any region needs kids from all part of the region to understand other cultures and history it is certainly SE Michigan.

I've been there more then once and found it both interesting and appalling, [[as far as what one race of people are capable of dishing out to another). The last few times I've gone, it looked rather "tattered" inside, and around the edges. A lot of the interfaces didn't work.The exhibits, for the most part, haven't changed. Nothing new, or any special exhibits seem to take place. In the last few years, it seems to have been turned into a meeting and banquet place. The best idea I've seen, was to hold the African World Festival on it's grounds. I think if they had the Wright management, [[ha-ha), it could have more of a draw.

[antongast]

Why wouldn't people of all backgrounds appreciate black history/culture.

I don't have a pat theoretical explanation for why they wouldn't, but in my experience they largely don't.

[aj3647]

Well part of the reason is because not too many people give a fuck about black history/culture, aside from blacks.

And what percentage of the ~1 million black people in Metro Detroit do you think have visited the museum? Even if "only black people cared", what excuse is there that the museum can't support itself in a city that is >85% black? It's unfair of you to say that it's only non-blacks who don't care about the museum when many black people seem to not give a shit either.

Arab-Americans make up a far smaller percentage of this region than black people do, but you'll notice that the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn doesn't seem to be having these funding issues nor does it exist largely on taxpayer charity.

[poobert]

The museum has appallingly low visitor counts.

I forgot to mention that. The annual visitor count was conveniently left out of the article.

Firstly, it's not what I would call one of the great national museums. Secondly, it doesn't matter if it is if no one comes.

Also it's interesting that it's self-styled as "the People's Museum" when they charge a significant admission rate while the DIA and DHM are free. I guess just toss in pseudo-populist jargon when convenient.

[townonenorth]

Imagine if each black player in professional sports contributed 1/10 of one percent of their salaries to the museum. That would probably equal about 10 times the Detroit contribution, considering that just the Brooklyn team in the NBA alone's salary is $100,788,184 for this past year. Brooklyn would contribute about 100k a year.

Of course, that'll never happen.

[Hypestyles]

so what are the options to make it a state museum, or totally spin off ownership into a DIA type organization?

[poobert]

so what are the options to make it a state museum, or totally spin off ownership into a DIA type organization?

With the state closing the State Fair, and the vast majority of the state's African-American population, and the Republican legislature talking of nothing but tax cuts, you're thinking they're going to go for bankrolling an African-American Museum?

They can certainly spin off ownership into a DIA type organization. Then they'd be responsible for their own funding and close within a year. That's what they're trying to prevent.

[Lowell]

It is important that its funding be continued. Think of it as one of those things we need, like mass transportation, that will not make money but makes sense.

I believe its most important purpose is that it serves as a holocaust museum by telling the story of American slavery through its exhibits. Just like the museum in Farmington Hills or the most moving for me, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, it is important that the enormity and brutality of this centuries-long crime of be made known and its victims remembered and memorialized.

The great culture that arose from that grim legacy is nothing short of amazing and deserves its celebration.

The Wright Museum does that too and its existence should be defended. It is incomparable to the DIA, DHS or Science Museum. These are tough, gut-wrenching truths to confront, not something people can stand to visit too often. Not something that sells popcorn and swag. But something we need. A bit of truth and reconciliation.

[aj3647]

I believe its most important purpose is that it serves as a holocaust museum by telling the story of American slavery through its exhibits. Just like the museum in Farmington Hills or the most moving for me, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, it is important that the enormity and brutality of this centuries-long crime of be made known and its victims remembered and memorialized.

If that's the purpose of the museum, then why it is located in Detroit as opposed to Washington DC, where it would benefit from the millions of tourists who go there specifically to visit museums like that? The Holocaust museum gets 15,000,000 visitors annually.

Other than Detroit being a majority black city, what sense does it make to locate such a museum here? It sure as hell isn't because the local government is such a reliable fiscal benefactor. Michigan was never a slave state. At least DC, in addition to being a majority black city, has a geographical and historical connection to the age of slavery.

[Pam]

If that's the purpose of the museum, then why it is located in Detroit as opposed to Washington DC, where it would benefit from the millions of tourists who go there specifically to visit museums like that? The Holocaust museum gets 15,000,000 visitors annually.

Other than Detroit being a majority black city, what sense does it make to locate such a museum here? It sure as hell isn't because the local government is such a reliable fiscal benefactor. Michigan was never a slave state. At least DC, in addition to being a majority black city, has a geographical and historical connection to the age of slavery.

It's located in Detroit because it was started by a Detroiter:

http://thewright.org/visit/about-the-museum

[aj3647]

It's located in Detroit because it was started by a Detroiter:

http://thewright.org/visit/about-the-museum

So if he was from Marquette, it would have made sense to locate the museum there? Plus the museum switched locations in the 80's, so it obviously wasn't somehow magically tied to its original spot.

This museum, if located in DC instead of Detroit, could easily get 10x or more the number of visitors each year. And if it were in DC, such a museum possibly could have gotten federal dollars to subsidize it much as the Holocaust museum does.

[Wesley Mouch]

It's located in Detroit because it was started by a Detroiter:

http://thewright.org/visit/about-the-museum

...started by a Detroiter that didn't build a sustainable museum. If you want a museum to succeed today, you either have to have a willing government or establish reasonable budgets and an appropriate endowment. Apparently, CHW has neither. That's too bad. But its only one of a thousand 'too bads' about Detroit.

Except for the fringers, everyone agrees that such a museum is important. So how do we fund this without spending money that should instead pay pensioners retirements so they don't carry this cost.

[mwilbert]

...started by a Detroiter that didn't build a sustainable museum. If you want a museum to succeed today, you either have to have a willing government or establish reasonable budgets and an appropriate endowment. Apparently, CHW has neither. That's too bad. But its only one of a thousand 'too bads' about Detroit.

Except for the fringers, everyone agrees that such a museum is important. So how do we fund this without spending money that should instead pay pensioners retirements so they don't carry this cost.

The city was the main funder of the building of this unsustainable museum, and the city agreed to fund a large portion of its operations, so at some point the CHW had a willing government. The problem is that your supporters have to be both willing and able, and Detroit no longer really is able, if it ever was, and the Wright museum has always had a problem expanding its fundraising base.

Because a huge portion [[I don't have the current numbers, but it was 80-90% a few years ago) of the museum's income is grants and donations, there is no realistic way it can make up the gap created by a loss of revenue from the city through increased admissions or memberships or party rentals, at least not anytime soon. The only way to make up the city's contribution would be to find some other donors, which is never an easy task, especially in an environment where the usual philanthropic suspects are being asked to pony up large amounts of extra cash to keep the DIA intact.

I would guess their best bet in the short run would be to hope that the city doesn't have to eliminate its contribution entirely, while they try to cut operating costs substantially. I don't know whether that is a reasonable hope. In the medium to long term they need to recruit more supporters, both large and small.

[Chinman]

it is located in Detroit because William H. Wright was a Black Physician in Detroit who started collecting artifacts and information from this Countries time of Slavery. By your statement alone proves why it is needed. You don't even know the History of how the Museum came about. learn things and then comment.