The Lifeblood of the Museum

Exhibitions Performance

Jack Guthman speaks to the importance of convergent programming, where the events we host are as important as the art we put on our walls.

It's certainly very difficult to raise money for endowment, that's the hardest thing. But people like to have their name on things—which is anathema to me, but that's the way people are. The reality is that the programs are the lifeblood of the museum. If we don't have great exhibitions and great programming, we don't have a museum. That's the, say, the raison d'etre of the museum is the product that we put on our walls and the programming that we do. By that I also want to include the performance programs; I mean, they're part of it as well. It's not just the visual that we see on the walls. And we've integrated that, which is I think a hugely good idea.

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Video still, Behind the Scenes at an Art Museum. © MCA Chicago.

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MCA staff members are interviewed in 1997 about their work. Interviews include Torri Johnson, security officer; Margaret Farr, assistant director of education; Pablo Helguera, coordinator of public programs; Dominic Molon,. . . more
1990s Community Education Staff