The new issue of The Economist includes a special report on the state of museums around the world. The subhead of the story: “Museums the World Over Are Doing Amazingly Well, Says Fiammetta Rocco. But Can They Keep the Visitors Coming?” Our own DMA makes an appearance. To wit:
Other than in New York and Chicago, entrance fees as a source of income are becoming increasingly insignificant. When at the Dallas Museum of Art they shrank to just 2% of annual income, the trustees approved the launch of a radical new scheme: visitors sign up to a membership programme known as DMA Friends that gives them free admission if they provide their names, e-mail addresses and zip codes. Since January 35,000 people have joined, and they are signing up at a rate of 800 a week. The personal information they provide is overlaid with details from the census, allowing the museum to work out who their visitors are and exactly where they come from. Philanthropists love the scheme because it makes the use of their money more transparent.
The story does not mention Jacqueline Buckingham, wife of DMA director Max Anderson. Huge oversight.
