Author: Museums Collaborative and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

Publication Year: 1972

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Museums Collaborative, Inc. and the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration of New York City submit a proposal to test for the first time in this country, a cultural voucher program which would enable community-based groups to purchase a wide range of cultural services and programs from the city's established cultural institutions, including museums, zoos and botanic gardens.

Abstract:

Museums Collaborative, Inc. and the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration of New York City submit a proposal to test for the first time in this country, a cultural voucher program which would enable community-based groups to purchase a wide range of cultural services and programs from the city's established cultural institutions, including museums, zoos and botanic gardens.

Over a five year period, this program would enable community groups - settlement houses, drug rehabilitation centers, community arts and service groups, senior citizens and prisons - to use vouchers to purchase cultural services in two ways: (1) by purchasing already existing museum services such as memberships, admissions to exhibitions, seminars, workshops, lectures, classes, film-showings and concert series; and (2) by purchasing new programs, which would be jointly designed by the community-user group and a museum, to meet the particular needs of the purchasing community group. (p. 1).

CONTENTS
  1. Proposal.
  2. Rationale.
  3. Goals.
  4. Implementation.
  5. Role of Museums Collaborative.
  6. Role of participating cultural institutions.
  7. Role of participating community-user groups.
  8. Questions raised about a cultural voucher program.
  9. Advantages of testing a cultural voucher program in New York City.
10. Evaluation.
11. Time table.
12. Budget.
13. Historical precedents in cultural vouchering.
14. Appendix:
           Museum Summer '73 Evaluation Report prepared by the Center for
           Education Research and Field Services, School of Education, New York
           University.
                A. Listing of cultural institutions which will be approached and invited to
                    participate.
                B. Listing of community-user groups which will be approached and invited 
                    to participate.
          Samples from four museums programs currently offerred to general public.
          Museums Collaborative Program Report to the New York State Council on
          the Arts.
          Board of Directors - Museum Collaborative.
          Letters of support.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Participation, Funding