Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Through restricted donations, donors to private, independent not-for-profit US art museums are able to affect the prioritization of museum activities. Using annual data from museums’ Form 990s and AAMD survey responses, I test whether restricted giving affects a museum’s educational programming by analyzing the effect of restricted assets on education department performance indicators. I find that a percentage point increase in permanently restricted assets as a proportion of total assets is associated with a 0.1876 percentage point increase in education expenses as a share of total expenses. Through qualitative informational interviews, I recognize this impact as evidence that arts education is central to the purpose of museums in the twenty-first century.
Author: Clare Murray
Language: English
Subfield: Museology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
Funder: Colby College
OpenAlex ID: W2805219301