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NB: This Fact Sheet Has been prepared by the Autry National Center of the American West |
Autry
National Center of the American West
KEY FACTS
To create a center of national profile, the
Southwest Museum and the Autry Museum of Western
Heritage have signed a definitive memorandum of understanding, to merge
through the establishment of the Autry National Center of the American
West. The new Center will consist of the Southwest Museum, the Autry
Museum, and the Institute for the Study of the American West. The
Center’s purpose is to enhance understandings about the American West
by promoting new research, reexamining traditional perceptions, and
increasing the collections. With the creation of the Autry National Center
of the American West, we will be in a better position to interpret those
stories and to ensure that exhibitions and programs are informed by the
best scholarship. The
Center’s Financial Outlook The estimated cost of this endeavor is $100 million, to be
raised over a five-year period by the Center. The new funds will be
allocated to the preservation of the collections, creation of an endowment
for the Center, potential renovation of the historic Southwest Museum, and
the redesign of some of the Autry’s exhibition space. During this period
both museums will remain open to the public during their regular business
hours. Both museum representatives expressed their confidence in the
financial outlook for this new Center, since they already have approached
a number of foundations and individuals who have expressed strong interest
in supporting a campaign of this size. Future
of Existing Facilities: Autry Museum and Southwest Museum The merger will be based on a six-month due-diligence and
planning process, which will include community input, to develop a
long-term master plan integrating the functions of both institutions.
Addressing the new needs of the Center and the interests of the
communities neighboring both museums, this six-month due-diligence process
contemplates a redesign of the Autry Museum’s exhibition space and the
potential restoration of the Southwest Museum’s historic buildings. Because this restoration is a key element of the master
plan, museum architect Brenda Levin, whose work includes the Wiltern
Theatre, Los Angeles City Hall, the Boone Gallery at the Huntington
Library, and the University Art Museum at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, will produce a comprehensive facilities report to make
recommendations on the rehabilitation of the buildings. The plan also
recommends that both institutions continue normal operations during their
physical reconfiguration. Special consideration will be given to their
ongoing projects. Structurally, three members of the Southwest’s Board of
Trustees will join the Autry National Center’s Board. Administrative
staff will be centralized, and the Southwest and Autry museums will
function independently with their own curators, volunteers, and docents.
The two museums will each manage their own budgets as well as their own
exhibition and collection initiatives. The Center will draw on the resources of both the Autry
and the Southwest museums to preserve and expand their unparalleled
collections, thus securing for many future generations the advancement of
the public’s knowledge and interest in the history of the individuals
and cultures of the American West. Through high-profile and traveling
exhibitions, public programs, publications, new scholarship, and outreach
efforts, the Center will engage increased audiences at the local,
national, and international levels. The Center will strive to provide
leadership in the academic community by committing well-recognized
scholars to research projects, publications, seminars, workshops, and
symposia. As an institution whose main goal is education, the Center plans
to partner with more school districts and with community-based
organizations to expand its field trip programs. |