Museum Advocacy

Nevada museums have been hit hard by the Coronavirus epidemic. To get you started reaching out to your state representatives and letting them know how badly NV museums are hurting and what they can do to help, we offer this letter template.

NV State Representative Letter Template

Dear ____,

I’m writing to you today on behalf of my organization, ___, a Nevada based museum. I want to share with you some of our achievements in 2020 and some areas where we could use your assistance. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected Nevada museums greatly which has a lasting effect on the cultural identity of our state.

With the sudden onset and immediate closure of _____ Museum, attendance figures dropped dramatically including visits by students, some of whom have never been to a museum or had an opportunity to learn from one. In order to provide support for our community, many of which were in the middle of being furloughed or laid off, we transformed our exhibits to a virtual platform and provided free online resources. These have been used by parents who have become teachers, adults who are seeking entertainment, learning and solace, and teachers who’ve been instructing remotely for one year. These critical and essential changes were opportunities for our staff to learn how to produce virtual content including tours and were necessary costs to stay relevant to our communities.

To date, our virtual programming has reached ___ individuals.

From ____ to ___, my museum was closed. We collected no admissions revenue and lost additional contributions from annual fundraising campaigns. We applied for numerous grants that were allocated from the CARES Act to National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Institute of Museum and Library Services and were not awarded funds. Fortunately, Nevada Arts Council and Nevada Humanities were awarded a portion of NEA and NEH CARES Act funds and we received smaller grants that helped offset general operating costs.

We were fortunate to have received PPP loans. However, staff were still laid off and it’s unclear when we will be able to hire staff again.

Nevada is rich in diverse histories and museums play a major role in preserving those stories for future generations. Many children recount museum field trips as their fondest memories of elementary school. Studies have shown positive effects of exposure to field trips on students’ science test scores and proficiency. Effects are largest for Hispanic students and those who qualified for free or reduced-price lunch especially those in rural communities. Currently, Nevada has nearly 100 museums serving all areas of the state from Winnemucca to Boulder City; however, the American Alliance of Museums predicts that a third of museums across the US will close permanently which equates to approximately 33 museums in Nevada. This figure will result in permanent layoffs, communities will suffer and students will not have access to the unique object-based and experiential learning museums offer.

Please explicitly consider museums in the economic recovery of the state of Nevada during this crucial 81st legislative session. Museums need your support now more than ever.  

Sincerely,

_____

P.S. Please plan to visit our museum when you’re available. We’d love to show you and your staff a behind the scenes tour of our spaces and collections.

How to contact your NV State Representatives

You can find out who your local State Assembly Member is and their office address on the NV State Assembly contact info page.

Assembly Members can also be mailed at the Assembly building at:

[REPRESENTATIVE NAME]
c/o Nevada Assembly
401 South Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701-4747

You can find out who your local State Senator is and their office address on the NV State Senate contact info page.

Senators can also be mailed at the State Senate at:

[SENATOR NAME]
c/o Nevada Senate
401 South Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701-4747

Nevada Museums Association