Assignment #1: Mayor’s Office Project

Enter your name, the date, and for each question or statement, enter your response in the space provided below each one.

Your name: Mariah M. Kennedy Date: 9/11/2017

1. Name and location of institution – Answer below
The Cincinnati Art Museum, located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

2. What is the purpose and role of the institution in its environment? – Answer below
The purpose of the Cincinnati Art Museum, or CAM, is to “enjoy the exhibitions or participate in the museum’s wide range
of art-related programs, activities and special events” (Visit the Cincinnati Art Museum, n.d.). In the newly released Fiscal
Report for September 1, 2015 – August 30, 2016, the Director Cameron Kitchin writes “we exist as a public service, putting
the power of art, artists, research, scholarship, education, conservation, collecting, exhibitions and programs to work for
a greater Cincinnati.” (Cincinnati Museum Association, 2017).
3. What are some principles or values the institution upholds? – Answer below
CAM’s mission states: “Through the power of art, we contribute to a more vibrant Cincinnati by inspiring its people and
connecting our communities.” (About the Cincinnati Art Museum, n.d.). More broadly, their motto is “we bring people and
art together” (www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org). Caitlin Tracey-Miller, the Visitor Research Coordinator at CAM adds that
“diversity and community connections are essential and we work hard to be accessible, welcoming, inclusive, and engaged
in Cincinnati.” (E-mail interview, October 5, 2017).

4. Describe the user base (number of annual users, demographic description, types of affiliation (members, card holders,
etc.). – Answer below
Since the Fiscal Year just ended on August 31st, 2017, the most current annual report available at this time is from 2015-
2016. Therefore, the numbers listed below will be reflective of the user base between Fiscal Year September 1, 2015–
August 31, 2016. Currently, the CAM is averaging about 200,000 visitors a year, and has approximately 6,000 museum
members. Memberships range in price from $30 for full-time students, to $600 for those who can afford it (which includes
special privileges at reciprocal Arts Associations and art museums across the U.S.)

The total number of annual program users (for fiscal year 2015 – 2016) is 98,242. This number does not include the
number of special programs they did throughout the year, which are listed in a separate appendix in the Annual Report.
Demographic deposition is broken down by age-group, or user-type. See below*:

AUDIENCE TYPE PROGRAM ATTENDANCE PER PROGRAM %

AUDIENCE TYPE
Adult 5,043 5%
Family + Teens 36,285 37%
Art for Life 9,047 9%
School + Teacher 2,292 2%
Accessibility 540 .5%
Docent + Corporate 1,387 1.5%
Tours 43,650 45%
TOTALS 98,244 100%

*Statistics obtained from the Annual Report 2017 (Cincinnati Museum Association, 2017).
Page 1 of 7
5. Describe the sources of funding for the institution. – Answer below
The CAM relies on multiple different grants and income for their annual funding. They openly state in the “About” section
of their webpage that they are “supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to
ArtsWave”, while going on to say that “The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the museum with state tax dollars to encourage
economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The museum gratefully acknowledges
operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as our museum members.” (About The Cincinnati Art Museum, n.d.).

Additionally, the CAM is funded by corporate partners, the “Founders Society”, Memberships, the Annual Fund, Major
Project and Program Supporters, trust and estate gifts, the “New Century Society”, and Gifts in Kind (Cincinnati Museum
Association, Annual Report 2017, 2017). Each of the above are thanked at length and in detail in the Annual Report 2017.
6. Describe or draw the organization structure of the institution. – Answer below
There is a single director of the CAM, Cameron Kitchin. His name, picture, and bio appear at the top of the “Staff Bios”
section on CAM’s website.
Below him are listed the Senior Staff, of which there are 8. Next, are the Curators. There are also 8 curators currently
employed by the CAM. Each senior staff member and director has a team who works with them on projects in their
specific fields/specialties (Tracey-Miller, E-mail interview, October 5, 2017).
General support staff, special events, administration, etc. are not listed on the main webpage, but are listed in the 2017
Annual Report. Therefore, the organizational structure of the institution appears to be of the fairly common, top-down
sort.

7. Identify 3 issues or trends affecting your institution’s operations. – Answer below

Issue 1 Lack of funding towards annual operating in an issue affecting CAM. In comparison to other similarly-sized
and situated art museums, in 2013 the CAM had an operating budget of about $11 million, whereas the
Indianapolis Art Museum operates on $340 million, The St. Louis Art Museum has $149 million to work with,
and the Kansas City Museum of Art tops it off with about $390 million. (Engebrecht, 2014).
Tracey-Miller acknowledges that financial stability is ”important, and the museum strives to be fiscally
responsible and transparent, and [also] provide a great member program.” (E-mail interview, October 5,
2017).
Issue 2 The trend towards attractive and accessible digital collection/information. Digital Collections are a way to
entice people who might not have the time, means, or interest in visiting a traditional museum. Trant (2008)
states that “Museums, libraries, and archives have been re-thinking their services and revising their user
models in light of significant changes in the way information is provided and accessed on-line.” This can be
seen in museums and other information institutions across the globe. The San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art has not only digitized it’s collection, but made it so accessible and searchable that anyone with a smart
phone can ask for an image/piece from their collection and it will be texted back to them within minutes, if
not seconds (Send me SFMOMA, n.d.). In a more size and geographically-appropriate comparison, The
Cleveland Public Library encompasses its own Digital Public Library, which includes resources and staff to
help patrons digitize their own memoranda and artifacts, along with images and digitization’s of some of
their collection as well (Cleveland Digital Public Library, n.d.). Tracey-Miller acknowledges this general trend
by stating that “we do incorporate technology and interactives into our exhibitions, but always in a way that
makes sense within the context/design/interpretive plan of that exhibition” (E-mail interview, October 5,
2017).
Issue 3 The trend towards museums extending their impact beyond the doors of the institution, while also
diversifying and enriching the “museum experience”. In his article entitled “Key Issues for Museums Today”,
Burgoyne (2016) interviewed Corinne Estrada, a PR agent based out of London. She states that “The museum
is not just a building anymore,” Estrada says. “It has another life outside its doors. The big challenge is to
become global and not just to talk to a local audience.” (Burgoyne, 2016). Tracey-Miller states that she still
works to always make the museum “a welcoming place that people want to return to again and again” and
Page 2 of 7
 that “There are lot of factors competing for people’s time, and we want to be a place that people feel
connected to…we work hard to have a presence outside the museum at community events and work hard to
build relationships with diverse partners.” (E-mail interview, October 5, 2017). Trant (2008) confirms the
importance and necessity of this shift by stating that: “Moving collections from an institutionally defined
information-space into a situationally defined user space allows memory institutions to maintain meaning
and develop immediacy – just the things that can ensure their continued cultural relevance in a world replete
with content from many sources.”
8. What will the institution need to consider in order to address these trends and issues? – Answer below
The CAM will need to consider sources of funding and the marketing/campaign they put towards obtaining funding on all
levels, from individual memberships to larger donors. They will need to look at and address the growing trend towards
digital collections, and if/how this would be implemented within their own organization and its effectiveness, both
financially and from a user standpoint. Lastly, they will need to consider the challenge of extending the institution beyond
it’s doors – making it a global institution while still retaining current and local members/patrons.

9. What will happen if they are not addressed? – Answer below

As Trant warned above, cultural relevance is at risk if these issues/trends aren’t addressed, not to mention the changes in
funding and attendance which come with irrelevance and disuse. Though I don’t see this sort of demise as being at all
swift, ineptitude to keep up with trends in the information institution field lead to lower annual visitor numbers, since
patrons/visitors might not find their experiences to be satisfactory or informative.
10. Are those trends likely to affect other information institutions that are geographically located nearby? (Note
similarities and differences, potential competition/collaboration between your institution and other information
institutions in the community.) – Answer below
These trends are very likely to be affecting similar information institutions nearby. In Cincinnati, there is a large public
library system, along with two other art museums – The Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, and The Taft Museum of
Art, and a large science, natural history, and children’s museum – The Cincinnati Museum Center. Interestingly enough,
however, there isn’t enough collection overlap between these information institutions for there to be much competition.
Though they are all located in about a 5 mile radius from one another, each serves a specific and unique purpose to the
community, though it is quite possible that many patrons/visitors visit many if not all of these information institutions in
any given year. Tracey-Miller states that;
“We consider other Arts organizations partners rather than competitors. We often develop complimentary exhibitions
with the Taft [Museum], do programs that cross institutional boundaries, and visit each other/communicate regularly.
Currently, CMC [Cincinnati Museum Center] teenagers are volunteering at CAM during…renovations, in a partnership that
benefits both institutions.” (E-mail interview, October 5, 2017).
11. How are these 3 issues or trends affected by the values and ethics of this institution? – Answer below
The CAM seems to be a strongly ethical institution, with a score of 94.18 out of 100 on charitynavigator.org, the “nation's
largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities” (Rating for Cincinnati Art Museum, n.d.). The American Alliance of
Museums Code of Ethic’s states “the museum's collections and programs and its physical, human and financial resources
are protected, maintained and developed in support of the museum's mission” (2000). The CAM follows this code of
ethics by conducting business in a way which mirrors and supports the values it espouses, as evidenced by the
charitynavigator score. Though the CAM seems to be addressing most of the issues/trends listed above, they will not let
them affect change unless it is in line with their mission to “contribute to a more vibrant Cincinnati by inspiring its people
and connecting our communities.” (About the Cincinnati Art Museum, n.d.).
12. Given these 3 trends or issues, what expertise and skills or competencies do employees in the institution need to
address these trends while fulfilling the institution’s mission? – Answer below
Employees at CAM need to have flexibility, insight, creativity, and open mindedness in order to address these
trends/issues. Creativity and insight will be needed in order to raise greater funds for the annual budget, while flexibility
and open-mindedness will be needed in order to digitize the collection in an attractive and accessible way, and to also
push the museum past it’s own walls and into the large community in order to create greater engagement and impact.
Trant (2008) argues that all information professionals need to possess a passion and desire “for lifelong learning in a
technological environment of continuous change”, which certainly still applies today.
13. Recommendation? Yes or No – Answer below
Page 3 of 7
It is my recommendation that the Cincinnati Art Museum, though an integral, loyal, educational, and devoted part of our
community, should not be considered for the Outstanding Institutions list.
The CAM is facing issues and trends which are affecting most of the other information institutions in our region, yet from
my investigation, seem to only be actively and obviously addressing one of these concerns.
Funding and operating budgets are down across the city for many of our information institutions, yet changing marketing
and/or fiscal development isn’t mentioned once in their strategic plan for the next 14 years. Additionally, there seems to
be no large push towards digitizing the collection or making it more accessible to patrons unable to enter the physical
institution. Though CAM is actively and thoroughly attempting to expand their reach and community engagement in new
ways, this is only one trend needing to be addressed in a list of three. If the CAM is to continue to function and hopefully
thrive, I believe it needs to more vigorously and dynamically address the financial and spatial concerns affecting many
such information institutions in the area and across the globe.
14. Resources consulted –Answer below
References

About the Cincinnati Art Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2017, from
http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/about/

Blueprint for Collective Action. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2017, from https://www.artswave.org/docs/default-
source/default-document-library/artswave-blueprint-for-collective-action.pdf?sfvrsn=0

Burgoyne, P. (2016). The key issues for museums today. Retrieved October 06, 2017, from
https://www.creativereview.co.uk/the-key-issues-for-museums-today/

Cincinnati Museum Association. (2017). Annual Report 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017, from
http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/media/137324/2017_cam_annual_report_rd6.pdf

Cincinnati Art Museum Staff Bios. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2017,
from http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/about/staff-bios/

Code of Ethics for Museums. (2000). Retrieved October 04, 2017, from http://www.aam-us.org/resources/ethics-
standards-and-best-practices/code-of-ethics

Cleveland Digital Public Library. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2017, from https://cpl.org/clevdpl/

Engebrecht, J. (2014). Meet the new Cincinnati Art Museum Director. Retrieved October 02, 2017, from
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/arts/2014/07/29/cincinnati-art-museum-names-cameron-kitchin-new-
director/13239563/

Rating for Cincinnati Art Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2017, from
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6109

Send Me SFMOMA. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2017, from https://www.sfmoma.org/send-me-sfmoma/

Tracey-Miller, C. (2017, October 5). Trends and Changes in the CAM [E-mail interview].

Trant, J. (2008). Emerging convergence? Thoughts on museums, archives, libraries, and professional training. Museum
Management and Curatorship, 24(4), 369-387. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.library.kent.edu/10.1080/09647770903314738

Visiting the Cincinnati Art Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2017, from
http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/visit/

Page 4 of 7
URL of the presentation –Paste the URL below
https://presenter.kent.edu/playbacknew.php?playthis=6b746yvw

Space for script – Answer below

SLIDE 1:
Hello everyone, and thank you for being here to discuss Outstanding Institutions in our Community.

My name is Mariah Kennedy, and today I will be talking about the Cincinnati Art Museum - exploring it’s mission, values,
user statistics, challenges and current trends which are affecting the institution today.

SLIDE 2:
The Cincinnati Art Museum, which will be referred to from here on out as CAM, is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, just east of
the downtown metropolitan area. Built in 1886, the Art Museum was heralded worldwide as “The Art Palace of the West.”
(About the Cincinnati Art Museum, n.d.). It features a “diverse, encyclopedic art collection of more than 67,000 works
spanning 6,000 years (About the Cincinnati Art Museum, n.d.).

SLIDE 3:
CAM’s Mission Statement proclaims; “Through the power of art, we contribute to a more vibrant Cincinnati by inspiring its
people and connecting our communities.” (About the Cincinnati Art Museum, n.d.).

SLIDE 4:
Over the last few weeks, I’ve exchanged emails with one of CAM’s employees – Mrs. Caitlin Tracey-Miller, who serves as
the Visitor Research Coordinator. We spoke about the mission and values CAM employees espouse, and she championed
the fact that “Diversity and community connections are essential and we work hard to be accessible, welcoming, inclusive,
and engaged in Cincinnati.” (E-mail interview, October 5, 2017).

SLIDE 5:
The purpose of the CAM, and the role it plays in Cincinnati’s collective of information institutions, is that of:
1. A place for visitors to enjoy exhibitions: such as the portrait gallery, sculpture garden, and special visiting collections.
2. A place for people to participate in art-related programs, activities and special events: such as the wildly popular public
tours of specific time periods/artists, and more… “touch tours”, for visitors who are visually impaired, and a myriad of
different family and child-specific activities and interactive events.
3. Overall, the CAM is a place where people and art are brought together!

SLIDE 6:
Since the Fiscal Year just ended on August 31st, 2017, the most current annual report available at this time is from 2015-
2016. Currently, the CAM is averaging about 200,000 visitors a year, and has approximately 6,000 museum members.
Memberships range in price from $30 for full-time students, to $600.
The total number of annual program users (for fiscal year 2015 – 2016) is 98,242, with further program demographic
breakdown apparent in the graph you see here.

SLIDE 7:
The organizational structure of CAM is of the fairly common, top-down variety. *CLICK MOUSE

There is a single director of the CAM, Cameron Kitchin.

There are also 8 Senior Staff Members, and 8 curators.
Additionally, there are general support staff, administration, HR employees etc., who, while not listed on the main
webpage, are thanked and acknowledged in the 2017 Annual Report. (Cincinnati Museum Association, 2017).

Page 5 of 7
SLIDE 8:
The CAM relies on multiple different grants and income for their annual funding. They openly state in the “About” section
of their webpage that they are “supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to
ArtsWave”, while going on to say that “The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the museum with state tax dollars to encourage
economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.” About The Cincinnati Art Museum,
n.d.).

Additionally, the CAM is funded by corporate partners, Memberships, Major Project and Program Supporters, and trust
and estate gifts (Cincinnati Museum Association, Annual Report 2017, 2017).

SLIDE 9: There are three major trends and issues affecting not just the Cincinnati Art Museum, but many similarly sized
and geographically located information institutions as well.

SLIDE 10:
The first and possibly largest challenge that CAM is facing right now is that of acquiring enough funds to put towards the
annual operating budget. In comparison to other similarly-sized and situated art museums, in 2013 the CAM had an
operating budget of about $11 million, whereas similarly-sized and situated art museums have more than ten times that
amount, as you can see here. (Engebrecht, 2014).

SLIDE 11:
The trend towards attractive and accessible digital collection and information is sweeping across information institutions
of the developed world. Digital Collections are a way to entice people who might not have the time, means, or interest in
visiting a traditional museum.
This change can be seen in museums and other information institutions across the globe.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has not only digitized it’s collection, but made it so accessible and searchable
that anyone with a smart phone can ask for an image/piece from their collection and it will be texted back to them within
minutes, if not seconds (Send me SFMOMA, n.d.). In a more size and geographically-appropriate comparison, The
Cleveland Public Library encompasses its own Digital Public Library, which includes resources and staff to help patrons
digitize their own memoranda and artifacts, along with images and digitization’s of some of their collection as well.
(Cleveland Digital Public Library, n.d.).

SLIDE 12:
The trend towards museums extending their impact beyond the doors of the institution, while also diversifying and
enriching the “museum experience” is a similar, yet more holistic and less quantifiable trend affecting information
institutions today. The challenge here is to push the museum beyond its walls, in order to solidify it’s modern
attractiveness and relevance in our tech-centered world. Many renowned and esteemed social scientists and information
professionals have written about this trend, and it’s impacts on not just museums but other modern information
institutions as well.

SLIDE 13:
Addressing these trends and challenges is by no means easy, but will be necessary in order to thrive in the ever-evolving
information environment.

SLIDE 14:
First, CAM needs to consider sources of funding and the marketing campaign they put towards obtaining funding on all
levels, from individual memberships to large donors.

They will need to look at and address the growing trend towards digital collections, and if/how this would be implemented
within their own organization and its effectiveness, both financially and from a user standpoint.

Lastly, they will need to consider the challenge of extending the reach and impact of CAM beyond it’s doors – making it a
Page 6 of 7
global institution while still retaining and regaling current and local members and visitors.

SLIDE 15:
It is my recommendation that the Cincinnati Art Museum, though an integral, loyal, educational, and devoted part of our
community, should not be considered for the Outstanding Institutions list.

The CAM is facing issues and trends which are affecting most of the other information institutions in our region, yet from
my investigation, seem to only be actively and obviously addressing one of these concerns.

Funding and operating budgets are down across the city for many of our information institutions, yet changing marketing
and/or fiscal development isn’t mentioned once in their strategic plan for the next 14 years.

Additionally, there seems to be no large push towards digitizing the collection or making it more accessible to patrons
unable to enter the physical institution.

Though CAM is actively and thoroughly attempting to expand their reach and community engagement in new ways, this is
only one trend needing to be addressed in a list of three.

If the CAM is to continue to function and hopefully thrive, I believe it needs to more vigorously and dynamically address
the financial and spatial concerns affecting many such information institutions in the area and across the globe.

It is for these reasons that I am unable to recommend CAM be included on the Mayor’s list of Outstanding Institutions.

Page 7 of 7