There’s a genius behind NM’s cultural success
Bravo!
The state Department of Cultural Affairs, the Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque and all of the employees and sponsors who had a role in the blockbuster showing of “Da Vinci — The Genius” deserve a standing ovation.
It was a smart move that provided New Mexicans and visitors to our state with a quality exhibit, which, in turn, boosted attendance and revenue to numbers not seen since the museum’s opening in 1986. Indeed, attendance at the Museum of Natural History & Science for the fiscal year that ended June 30 jumped by 117,130, an increase of 59 percent, over the previous year.
That’s amazing success, and it’s something Cultural Affairs and the museum should aspire to going forward. It’s a high bar, but they’ve already shown they are more than capable of rising to the challenge.
It also shows that New Mexicans are eager to see, and pay for, quality exhibits and events. And this one required attendees’ time and attention. While there were fun replicas of the famous scientist/artist’s inventions and masterpieces, much of the exhibit consisted of lengthy, sometimes complex, descriptions. As many people were poring over each word as were oohing and ahhing over the models suspended from the ceiling.
Overall, attendance and revenue at the state’s eight museums and seven historic sites were up during last fiscal year. Cultural Affairs reports that more than a million people visited its sites last fiscal year, an increase of 11 percent over the year before. Admission fee revenue to the sites jumped from nearly $2.6 million in fiscal 2017 to just over $3.5 million in fiscal 2018, a 38 percent increase.
While most of those increases were due to the Da Vinci exhibit, attendance was up at all but two state museums and historic sites.
The History Museum/Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe experienced an 11 percent drop in visitors, while the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s attendance dropped 18 percent.
Cultural Affairs officials say the drop in ticketed attendance at the Hispanic Cultural Center could be the result of turnover in theater staff, which limited the number of performing arts events the center was able to host. It’s also worth noting that the Hispanic Cultural Center was coming off a record year.
Despite the drop in attendance at the Hispanic Cultural Center, revenue there actually increased by about $8,100.
The popularity of the Da Vinci exhibit, meanwhile, also translated into an increase of visitors at the planetarium, as exhibit-goers took advantage of the museum’s combo prices.
Nearly any way you look at it, the Department of Cultural Affairs is riding a well-deserved high. While the department’s staff deserves credit for the wonderful exhibits and programs presented each year, as do the sponsors who help underwite them, ultimately their success is due to the fact the people of our state are interested, curious and eager to take advantage of high-quality offerings.
And if you haven’t yet seen “Da Vinci — The Genius,” time is running out. The exhibit closes Aug. 29.