Is our children stitching: Solutions

Yesterday I talked about how a confluence of factors has led to a situation in which art museums ought be concerned about the future of their audiences, and why. Today I want to suggest some ways art museums could address this.

I'm surprised how little art museums -- especially contemporary museums -- do to communicate with their audiences. Most do some kind of monthly or quarterly newsletter, a lame affair that mentions upcoming exhibits and upcoming items in the store. The Hammer's includes paparazzi-style photos of their famous supporters. MOCA members receive Dwell magazine, which is lovely but has nothing to do with contemporary art. I'm on the press/something list for about 25 museum publications and there isn't one that rises above useless. (The exception is an annual: Chinati's newsletter. And in a non-contemporary way, the Met's Bulletin is useful too.)

So where's the innovation in how museums spread the word, where's the spirit of progressive non-profits that make earning and motivating audiences a key part of their mission? Why hasn't an art museum partnered with an NPR station on local/regional programming, or with NPR itself on a national podcast? Why haven't art museums studied how aggressive progressive non-profits reach and build and inform/educate their target audiences? (Have they? I haven't seen any evidence...)

I'm a writer, so my biggest suggestion will involve writing. It stems from an idea Christopher Knight had a couple years ago regarding the possible expenditure of the Getty billions.

I'd like to see 6-12 art museums partner to create a smart monthly magazine about art and artists of the last century. The magazine would launch with a circulation of a couple hundred thousand affluent urban types, the precise audience that advertisers love to reach. Think of it as The Atlantic, Believer, Harper's or Dwell for the visual culture set. The project would probably require venture philanthropy from someone such as the Getty or another large foundation, and a commitment from at least half a dozen museums. (That's even a really good fit: Most parts of the Getty are trying to find a way to be more involved in contemporary art.) A big museum, such as MoMA or SFMOMA, would have to sign up first. Eventually the magazine would be available on newsstands.

As journalism has gotten out of the business of cultural coverage, it's become increasingly clear that if cultural writing matters to the art world (and stuffed-to-the-gills museum press offices are an indication that museums want coverage), art institutions are going to have to become involved in supporting cultural journalism.

The magazine I have in mind would include long-format feature stories and profiles about architects, artists, curators, and other important players in contemporary art. It would feature reviews of major shows, a big-ideas back-of-the-book that is more New Yorker or Atlantic than Art in America. The magazine would be about art, but it would use art as a lens through which it looks at the world: It would feature Wangechi Mutu talking about Kenya, Julie Mehretu on diaspora, Spencer Finch on light, and so on. It would focus on how art exists in the world, not on how a market for art exists. The magazine would be a bridge between the impenetrable museum exhibition catalogue intended for scholars, and the exhibition brochure intended for lunchtime conversation.

Almost as important, the magazine would provide a place for young writers to demonstrate their chops. When I read national magazines these days I'm almost embarrassed about some of the arts/artists-related features and profiles I see. There needs to be a bench behind Calvin Tomkins.

Sure, there are some issues here. It would be important for the magazine to have editorial independence. It would important for it to do issues-oriented journalism regarding museums, federal and state arts policies, and all kinds of informed reporting instead of just puff-pieces. It will have to pay freelance writers competitive rates, north of $2/word. The magazine cannot be the only way contemporary art museums work together to spread the word.

But it would be a place to start.