For Immediate Release: September 28, 2006
Contact: Andy Graham, Communications Manager
andrew@maaa.org, 816-421-1388

Mid-America Arts Alliance Receives National Leadership Grant for Museums
IMLS funds will support needs assessment of museums in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma

Mid-America Arts Alliance has received a grant in the amount of $153,885 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Funds will support research and development efforts to conduct a complete survey of museums of all sizes and types in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

Mid-America will partner with state arts councils, and collaborate informally with state museum associations to develop the first-ever tabulation of training needs and preferences among museums in these three states. Data will be collected using surveys, in-person and telephone interviews, field visits, and case studies. This research will provide a model for how other state and regional organizations can partner with local organizations to obtain this vital information about the museum field. An evaluation of the data will also show how results can be applied nationally.

"Many museum practitioners make broad assumptions about the demographics and needs of our nation’s museums based on hearsay and anecdotal evidence," Mary Kennedy McCabe, Mid-America Arts Alliance Executive Director said. "The data collected from this needs assessment is expected to inform future efforts to craft policies and plans that will substantively improve museums’ effectiveness and well-being."

Mid-America recently completed similar studies in Arkansas, Nebraska, and Texas that added clarification and correction to many common assumptions. Some findings from that research include:

• 87% of Nebraska museums have two or fewer paid staff
• 32% of Arkansas museums operate on annual budgets of less than $25,000
• 34% of Nebraska museums have no internet access
• 76% of Arkansas museums spend less than $1,000 annually to train their trustees, staff, and volunteers
• 75% of Texas museums and 70% of Arkansas museums cite “lack of funding” as the primary reason preventing staff and volunteer training

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a "Nation of Learners," because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the IMLS empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation.

Mid-America Arts Alliance, the nation’s oldest regional arts organization, was founded in 1972 to foster cultural growth in heartland communities. Today, Mid-America primarily serves communities throughout Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, though it also develops and delivers arts and humanities programs for a national audience. Mid-America programs attract upwards of one million people annually in more than 300 communities.

For more information, please visit www.maaa.org, or contact Andy Graham at andrew@maaa.org, 816-421-1388.

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