What cities need: More festivals, fewer stadiums and museums

[csziggy]

18. Museums should participate in the festivals!

The local galleries and museums are part of the local "Art in the Park" festival every year. They feature local artists and craftspeople who can show and sell their art to a large audience.

The local science museum has science oriented public gatherings in the open area in front and on top of it.

A local history museum has folk festivals that invites local musicians and artists to contribute to the festivities.

Just a couple of weekends ago I attended a textile and fiber festival at a local plantation that has been put into a preservation foundation. The foundation encourages fiber arts and has events for k-12 children to come to the plantation, see sheep and llamas being sheared, learn about fiber arts and about farming. They also work with the Farm Bureau to teach nutrition and cooking with an emphasis on vegan dishes.

Our library, the main one and the various branches, have events on a regular basis - reading to younger children, Lego competitions, meetings for all sorts of groups, and many things that are not thought of as "library" type activities.

Museums, libraries and other organizations should reach out to their communities to become involved in the local activities. They shouldn't sit in their quiet, isolated grandeur and expect the communities to finance and support them. They should be a part of their communities and offer new perspectives and opportunities to the people who would then clamor to keep them.