County doesn’t belong in the business of running museums

As governments globally retreat from funding cash-strapped museums, it may be a comfort to know that Miami-Dade County is working to take over one struggling museum and start another of its own, both to be tax funded.

That’s very nice for the museums, but Miami-Dade is no better off than other governments that say taxes can’t carry so much cultural load, no matter how worthy museums are. So why are we going to pledge taxes in perpetuity to finance and run museums?

The answers are easy. The museum that the county is looking at taking over is a military museum, and veterans are voters. The museum that commissioners might start aims to display all that county commissioners have accomplished for us, which probably won’t take much space and is a cause they can support.

But several commissioners last week noted wisely in debate that the county must step carefully, even though the commission did direct Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to begin a transition agreement to take over the Miami Military Museum and Memorial.

“What happens to all those other organizations that find themselves in a pickle?” asked René Garcia. “Are they going to come to the county? Are we going to take over those assets and these become county assets? I think we have to be careful when we proceed down this path as to who we pick and choose.”

Said Oliver Gilbert, “If we get in the business of buying museums, we’re going to own a lot of museums.”

Indeed! Of Miami-Dade’s 44 museums, many struggle to raise funds merely to stay open, much less buy artifacts and improve facilities or market to visitors.

Having served as a trustee of several fine museums here, I can attest that board members seldom plan exhibitions or discuss acquisitions. They talk more about raising money.

If the county begins to start and run museums, it will take about 10 minutes for trustees to realize that this is the chance of a lifetime: let taxpayers take over our funding burden, expand budgets, add to the collection and spread our message.

I don’t want to say a museum is a money pit: I believe in their missions and welcome their growth. 

But many museums owe their lives to a few people committed to a cause that others care less about. That was the case of the military museum, which a handful of veterans started. It is surely true of a museum to the 13-member county commission, which would have about 13 supporters, including initiator Commissioner Javier Souto.

So, should all taxpayers pay whenever a group starts a museum that struggles financially? As commissioners Gilbert and Garcia noted, once the county begins a museum bailout a lot more museums will quickly be on its doorstep.

Many museums’ causes will resonate. Some deal with sectors of our population. Among the 44 are five Cuban museums and one Haitian. If the government funds museums, there will also be a Black museum, long in the making. There is already a Jewish museum.

They also deal with culture – 19 museums for art, one for science, several for history, several for individual communities. There are two police museums. There’s a railroad museum and an aviation museum. The list goes on.

Which ones deserve tax-paid ownership to keep going? Does it go by how many voters each museum touches, or impact on the community, or attendance, or uniqueness? Imagine the commission battles, like why is this ethnic museum getting more money than that one? 

Another pitfall in county operation: when is museum content cultural or historic or artistic, and when does it border on propaganda? A real museum meets standards that might conflict with the politics of the moment. In Miami, that is especially dangerous ground.  

A vital question: does the county own a funded museum’s contents? That’s being asked in the case of the military museum, whose contents are not costly. But think of the value of the art in 19 museums and the artifacts or exhibits in others. It’s a tough issue.

Museums are vital in a community’s fabric and most deservedly get annual county grants, but government control is not a safe custodian for them. Taxpayers may question exhibits. Museum creators have a mission that is their own, not government’s.

Each museum is worthwhile, but if we can’t afford to add transportation or low-cost housing, should the county jump into the money pit and lurking political controversies of owning and operating struggling museums?

For a test case in museum controversies, all the county has to do is create a museum to commissioners. Who decides whether those who were convicted of crimes while in office belong with the others? Who decides what is said about each commissioner – and what is not said? Will commissioners get content veto power or create their own exhibits? 

Moreover, how much would this monument to outgoing commissioners cost taxpayers to build, create and maintain? One thing certain: better not count on many dollars from admission charges, because visitors would be few indeed.

In a county known for its edifice complex, government should not be adding museums to the list.