Martin Margulies, "Art Museum Funding: Private vs Public"

Across the nation, art museum construction is funded by private philanthropy NOT by public funds. Why should the government be giving money to a group of people who can well afford to put up the money by themselves? If the board of MAM says they need a new building let them obtain the money privately. Let them purchase land, and then they can build whatever they want. That is how it is done in other cities. Under no circumstance should the bond issue be funded unless the $100 million dollars in private money is put upfront in the bank with a bond of some amount for cost overruns. This will eliminate the usual requests for additional money’s and the usual story about pledges not yet collected. For example:

• The Norton Museum's $40 million dollar expansion was funded 100% by private philanthropy and they have a substantial collection.

• The recent expansion of the Modern Art Museum in New York: $800 million dollars was raised privately.
• The city of New York contributed 10% toward new construction. The Metropolitan Museum in New York raised $100 million dollars privately and asked the city of New York for land in Central Park which adjoins the Met to build an expansion. The city of New York turned them down.

Why is MAM asking for $2 million up front if the private money is "meeting its goals?"

• Due University opened a newly constructed 65,000 square foot art museum designed by renowned architect Rafael Vonoly. The total cost was $23 million dollars.
• The Nasher raised $19 million dollars privately before construction. Museum Permanent Collection/ Acquisitions:

MAM has approximately 300 minor works of art in its permanent collection- contrast that to other museums permanent collections:

• Norton Museum of Art, 5,000
• West Palm beach 5,200
•  Museum of modern Art, New York 175,000
• Metropolitan Museum of Art 2 million works of art
• Dallas Museum of Art 23,000

The Board at MAM: Four of the top 200 collectors in the world (according to ArtNews) live in Miami and none of them are on the Board of MAM nor are they involved. MAM has demonstrated a disturbing inability to connect with prominent collectors and yet they are constructing a large facility in anticipation of collectors donating works to the institution. This will not happen. Art works are too expensive for any museum to acquire without art donations or generous trustees. Why did MAM lobby against turning Museum Park funding into its own separate ballot question? Because they knew if it were properly disclosed, voters would be against it especially in light of the cost overrun problems at PAC.