Museum Expansion and the MFAH

by Claire Ruud September 3, 2012

The MFAH Campus Map

A few weeks ago, Artnews’ feature on Gary Tinterow discussed the Museum of Fine Arts Houston’s plans to build a new wing for modern and contemporary art, at a cost of $250 to $300 million. The museum has announced the project’s architect, Steven Holl, but has not yet made a case for the expansion publicly. So, it remains an open question: is a $300 million-expansion the best way to support the museum’s mission?

The question is timely, not just in terms of Houston and the MFAH, but also because the boards and staffs of museums seem ready to engage in a larger discussion about the cultural building boom of the 1990s and 2000s. We’re finally coming up for air after the heady days of the Bilbao Effect and the long night of the financial meltdown. The single biggest step forward in the conversation about museum expansions is the recently released “Set in Stone,” a report by the Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago. The report provides a comprehensive look at the past two decades of cultural building projects in the United States.

What the new research says about museum building projects

Prior to this study, conversations about the wisdom of building a new wing on an existing museum or renovating an old performing arts center had to be based primarily on anecdotal evidence. Now, the study officially christens the period from 1994 to 2008 as a cultural building boom in the US, a boom led by smaller cities in the South and correlated with population growth as well as increases in education and wealth. This characterizes Texas’s larger cities perfectly, so it’s no surprise that the Metropolitan Statistical Areas centered around Austin and Dallas show up as important examples in the study. The study found eight projects in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos together costing a total of over $190 million, and 13 projects in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington together costing just under $440 million. Of course, per-capita that’s a lot more dollars spent in Austin—about $90 per person in the metroplex and nearly twice as much (about $170 per person) in the greater Austin area. This is consistent with the study’s conclusions: Austin has been growing faster and getting smarter and richer more quickly than Dallas. Compared to Dallas, Austin also started off with fewer and less-well equipped facilities—it needed to play more “catch up.”

The MFAH’s Caroline Wiess Law Building

In addition to providing a big picture view, “Set in Stone” assembles more granular data from in-depth studies of a sample of 56 capital projects. This analysis aims to identify patterns in the processes and outcomes of such projects. Nineteen of the organizations were classified as museums, with the rest being theaters and performing arts centers. The information here is particularly useful to arts professionals and supporters as they take stock of the field and prepare to thrive in a new, more Spartan era.

The big takeaway for art institutions considering a building project is that organizations have consistently underestimated the costs of both the project itself and operating the new facility after the project is completed, AND they have consistently overestimated the revenues that the new facility will enable. As well, the study threw into doubt the idea “if you build it, they will come,” suggesting that bigger, better facilities did not consistently drive up attendance and membership. With regard to museums in particular, the study’s authors make a number of significant assertions about the motivations, processes and outcomes of their building projects:

Motivation: Researchers found it difficult to identify whether the motivation to build primarily grew out of the organization’s artistic mission, or rather, if the driving force behind the project was to make “an architectural statement related to the prestige of the institution or the civic pride of the community.”

Process: Intense debates over architectural designs—museums went through an average of ten—lengthened the planning process, which lasted nine years on average. In addition, “meddlesome” boards sometimes complicated the planning process and these boards often experienced a high rate of turnover due to infighting over leadership and control.

Budget: On average, projects ran 46% over budget, almost always due to architectural additions that were “not vital to the project’s success.” Rather, these additions came with the territory of working with a star architect.

Outcomes: Museums that experienced financial difficulty were unable to increase revenues, and responded by cutting staff, programming and hours, and relying more heavily on their permanent collections.

The MFAH’s Audrey Jones Beck Building

What this means for the MFAH’s proposed expansion

You can bet that the staff at the MFAH is talking about the results of this study. When I called the press office to ask a couple of questions, Mary Haus, the director of marketing and communications, mentioned it unprompted. She emphasized that the museum is only in the concept phase of the proposed project, and that there are more questions than answers at this point. In addition to adding exhibition space, the museum is assessing the needs of its education and conservation departments, thinking about how the space could service its film and lecture program, and contemplating improved visitor amenities like restaurants and public spaces. Consistent with the museums studied in “Set in Stone,” the MFAH is also interested in making an architectural statement. Mary elaborates, “beyond addressing the needs of the museum’s own audiences, a major goal of the proposed campus redevelopment project is to ensure that however it takes shape, it should unify and enhance the urban—in particular the pedestrian—experience of the museum district.” The upshot? The museum has yet to make a strong case that a new building is the best way to support its mission.

This doesn’t mean the case isn’t there. Here are a couple of things that could be part of the case:

The collection: On a good day, big U.S. museums like the MFAH have maybe 5% of their collection on view. The MFAH usually has about 2,500 objects on view out of a collection of 60,000. More exhibition space could mean more of the collection available to the public more of the time.

The modern and contemporary: Late modern and contemporary artists have produced some really massive art—vast, tall canvases and gallery-sized installations. The kinds of exhibition spaces best suited for these types of work are different than those suited to the smaller paintings and sculptures that preceded them. The MFAH may find its current galleries inadequate for some of its collection or the exhibitions to which it aspires.

The audience and demand: This is where the museum needs to be careful. Museums have tended to imagine that a bigger and cooler facility will draw more locals and more tourists, and it’s tempting to overestimate these effects. Perhaps the example of others will lead the MFAH to be more conservative in its projections here.

Other revenues: Some of the MFAH’s new building, like the proposed restaurant, will clearly be devoted to producing “earned income.” Again, museums are wont to overestimate the revenues that new facilities can produce. Hopefully, the MFAH won’t let aggressive revenue projections cloud its vision.

Architectural statement: The MFAH is a blockbuster museum. It seeks to bring in big crowds with high-profile exhibitions, and to provide Houston with access to a collection that includes all the big names on the international circuit. An architectural statement is a way of signifying to the world that you’re that kind of museum. It’s a matter of pride for the museum’s board and its members, for the city’s big players in government and business, and maybe even for its residents. There’s no conclusive evidence about the long-term economic effects of these kinds of projects, but it’s certainly true that the “pedestrian experience” offered by the Houston Museum District is barren, a bunch of towering slabs of concrete.

Is a high-profile architectural project the best way to support the MFAH’s mission and make Houston a great city for the arts? I can’t fathom how far $300 million would go in the hands of Aurora Picture Show, the CAMH, DiverseWorks, Project Row Houses, Skydive, or even towards programming at the MFAH itself… But before we judge the project, we have to accept the MFAH on its own terms. It is focused on providing Houstonites access to the international art world. Its peers are other big museums in other big cities, first, and other regional institutions, second. The MFAH seeks to be a flagship, a signifier of Houston’s worldliness and culture, it seeks to attract large audiences and to preserve canonical objects. The building project must be judged on these terms. Then, we can ask the right questions—is there a genuine, mission-driven need for an expansion of some kind? Is every aspect of the project the best use of funding available? What do other, similar projects tell us about the likely costs that will accrue? The realities of the recession will certainly cause some institutions to do capital projects differently than we’ve seen over the past twenty years. Hopefully, the MFAH will be one of them.

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Claire Ruud has an M.A. in art history from The University of Texas at Austin and is pursuing an M.B.A. at The Yale University School of Management. She thinks a lot about feminism, queer theory and financing contemporary art production.

14 comments

14 comments

Robert Boyd September 3, 2012 - 10:55

What recession? Don’t get me wrong–Houston’s unemployment rate is high and every person searching for work is a person who’s suffering. But what counts as far as expanding museums are wealthy people, not unemployed people. And the wealthy in Houston, whose fortunes are tied to the oil and gas industries, are doing very well and have been since around 2000, when the price of oil started a decade-long climb. It hasn’t dropped below $50/bbl since 2005. (And the natural gas industry has simultaneously expanded rapidly.)

It seems to me that when oil is high, Houston’s art institutions build. I guess what I’m saying is that from the point of view of the MFAH, there is no recession–just a lot of people who seem quite willing to write big checks. Oil could crash tomorrow, and institutions would do well to remember what happened last time around. But 1985 was a long time ago and memories fade.

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Beth Secor September 3, 2012 - 12:07

You know what would make a better MFAH? If they would pay their mid to lower level staff more money.

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Robert Boyd September 3, 2012 - 12:20

They don’t carve your name on the wall because you helped give everyone a raise, unfortunately.

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Rainey Knudson September 3, 2012 - 14:57

To paraphrase an artist I know, discussing the strategic role of art museums without bringing artists into the conversation is like having a seminar on brain surgery and not including any brain surgeons.

I daresay there are artists in Houston who could come up with profoundly visionary ideas for our arts institutions — ideas that would forever change the art landscape in Houston — if they were asked.

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Shane Tolbert September 3, 2012 - 16:34

@Rainey Knudson: We have been ready to talk for some time. Thanks MOCA meltdown for bringing attention to the role of the artist within the institution.

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Michael Peranteau September 3, 2012 - 19:00

What would happen if there was a moratorium on new museum construction and expansion? What would museums do to better fulfill their missions and the implicit agreements with their communities? We, almost exclusively, associate evolution with physical expansion and that is rarely the case.

And to all arts organizations- pay staff a living wage, provide humane leave opportunities and guarantee affordable healthcare. Our arts organizations should sustain and inspire- not model a postmodern gulag.

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Rainey Knudson September 3, 2012 - 20:13

And (it should go without saying to all exhibiting institutions) pay the artists whom you exhibit. Artists can’t live on “promotion” and air any more than your staff can.

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Robert Boyd September 4, 2012 - 04:21

Museums are private institutions. Who would impose a moratorium? How would it be enforced?

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Michael Peranteau September 4, 2012 - 09:25

I am not talking about “imposing/enforcing a moratorium.” You sound like a conservative with the issue of the imaginary, fear-mongering “government takeover.” I meant why don’t museums create their own moratorium and open up a dialogue with their communities. $300 million is a huge amount of money for any institution to be spending right now. It’s like during the worse part of the recession when the Bentley owners decided to stop driving their Bentleys in Los Angeles. People were out of work; schools were closing; homelessness had increased; and driving a Bentley jut didn’t seem appropriate. That’s one part of the equation. Although Houston has probably the healthiest economy in the country, there are arts organizations struggling to meet payroll here.
In the end museums are “non-profit” private institutions funded at least in part by the public and it can be to their own peril not to at least act like they are a part of a larger community and they are listening to this community.

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Robert Boyd September 4, 2012 - 09:41

But how is it in the interest of a museum generally (or the MFAH in particular) to impose such a moratorium? Obviously when times are tough, museums stop building. But as long as there are people out their writing big checks, museums will 1) make expensive acquisitions or 2) build big buildings. These activities are in their best interest. They may not be in the best interest of us–the art-viewing public–not to mention the interests of artists, lower-level museum employees, and the general somewhat disinterested public. But we live in a world of ever-increasing disparities of wealth, a new gilded age, and museums know which side of their bread is buttered. I’m not saying this is a good situation to be in, but it’s the situation we are in now.

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Bill Davenport September 4, 2012 - 15:00

Is the new building going to be a bright red featureless quadrilateral, as in the diagram? That might be cool.

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Rachel Hooper September 5, 2012 - 15:45

The strongest case for expansion at the MFAH is that two of their strongest collections– photography and latin american art– currently do not have adequate or permanent exhibition spaces. People would travel from all over the world to see either collection, but if they did now, they would find photography on the stairs and latin american art only if they were lucky enough to catch a temporary exhibition. It is vital that these amazing collections be made available to the public on a permanent basis in galleries that are suited to the quality and depth of the collections.

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Mairead McAlister September 6, 2012 - 17:01

The last few times I’ve been in the original MFAH building (Law Building), it has seemed a tired and empty structure compared to the beehive of activity and learning that it used to be when the bookstore and cafe were located there (along with vibrant and exciting exhibits).

Why not do a whole lot more with this original structure and bring it new life with new purposes for its spaces and more amenities for museum attendees?

I hate the idea of seeing even more concrete buildings (and much less nearby parking) choking up the entire area. Can’t some public spaces just be left alone! I think a much more creative and beneficial exercise would be to examine how you can do more with what you already have. Bring artists, sustainability and space planners, concerned citizens, teachers, architecture students, and art lovers together to see what they can propose for consideration.

Growth for growth’s sake got the dinosaurs in an awful predicament. Re purposing, reusing, and recycling what you already have shows a higher sense of responsibility and maturity.

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f remourseful January 15, 2015 - 13:36

There goes the free parking! I love the Law Building, it looks a bit run down, but it still has a modern feel to it. They just need to take that money and clean the windows and touch it up a bit. I hope they don’t tear that down, but it’s Houston. They should use the old space to promote community artists, give people a chance to showcase, that would get more people to show up at the museum. But in their art world suggestions are left up to the “benefactors”.

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