New Report Says Texas Museums Rank Third in the U.S. for Private Funding

by Brandon Zech September 16, 2018

Art Museums By the Numbers report by the Association of Art Museum Directors logo

Every year, the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), a professional forum for arts leaders to share ideas and discuss the museum world, releases an annual report titled “Art Museums By the Numbers.” Tracking things like institutional operating expenses, admissions, and visitor data, the report is a sort of State of the Union for the museum world — an appraisal on how institutions have grown and changed over a course of time. Though the AAMD was founded in 1916 and has operated in various capacities since, the Art Museums By the Numbers report was only begun in 2014, meaning that it will be a while before substantial changes and trends can be recognized. Currently, the AAMD comments on the little change it has observed, saying “since the first report in 2014 report, the numbers demonstrate stability and flexibility within the field. Looked at over time, the data reflects how art museums adjusted during—and then recovered from—the recession.”

The 2018 report, which looked at approximately 210 museums across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, found that 39% of organizations surveyed operate with a budget of under $5 million, while 8% operate with a budget of over $45 million. However, it also found that the richest institutions had by far the most attendees, and that attendance numbers dropped off and then steadily declined for institutions with less to spend. (For a more detailed analysis, see the graph below.)

Art Museums By the Numbers report by the Association of Art Museum Directors

When looking at how museums are supported, the report found that Texas museums rank third in the U.S. for private funding. Raking in $78.8 million, museums in the Lone Star State were only beat out by institutions in California ($162.8 million), and New York ($330.6 million). Of course, this data set only includes those donations made to museums who are AAMD members, meaning that Texas institutions may have received more money than the study counts.

Art Museums By the Numbers report by the Association of Art Museum Directors

Texas museums that are AAMD members include:

Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Blanton Museum of Art
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Dallas Museum of Art
El Paso Museum of Art
Kimbell Art Museum
McNay Art Museum
Meadows Museum, SMU
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Nasher Sculpture Center
San Antonio Museum of Art
The Contemporary Austin
The Menil Collection

To see the AAMD’s complete study, please go here. To see the AAMD’s separate survey addressing museum salaries, please go here.

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1 comment

Mel Hombre September 16, 2018 - 12:49

Not all museums are art museums.

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