BOSTON — While Massachusetts cultural institutions are for the most part thriving, the struggles of outliers like the Berkshire Museum have initiated conversations about the right approach to preserving fixtures of the arts economy.
The fiscal chasm between different regional institutions — like the Pittsfield facility and the Fitchburg Art Museum — and an internationally renowned brand, like the Museum of Fine Arts, is vast and well-known. And it’s not likely to get better soon.
“As we’ve had this kind of cultural explosion in the Berkshires, and lots of new 501(c)(3)s and nonprofit organizations have popped up, the number of people able to write checks that support organizations like that are getting spread thinner and thinner,” Jonathan Butler, president and CEO of the 1Berkshire economic development organization, said in a phone interview.
“On top of that, the population has declined a little bit.” Read more >>
