Museums closed in March, along with everything else. Some have reopened, many have not and the future of these largely non-profit institutions is uncertain. A national survey released in July by the American Alliance of Museums found that 33 percent of museums were “not confident” they’d make it to fall 2021.
This hour, the future of Iowa’s museums and the unique challenges they're facing, including high-tech, hands-on exhibits that are no longer safe to touch and the expense of housing extensive collections even when no one can come to see them.
Guests:
Tom Schwartz, director, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch
Tova Brandt, executive director of the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn
Curt Simmons, CEO, Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines
Kurt Strand, president and CEO, The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque