Fresno, CA.. just over 1/2 Million people and they have lost their Metropolitan Museum

[annm4peace]

What a horrible shame, and major shame that the Politicians couldn't secure enough funding to keep it.
and the small minded reports and corporate media that failed to fight to keep it alive.
What a shame some of the local reporter blamed it on renovating a 80 year old building. Unlike the area politicians and reporters.. a lot of kid's parents can't take them to San Francisco to the art and science museums like they can.
In fact, some cities care enough about their young people that they would forgive a loan that the Met was given, so their city would attract people who appreciate science and art.

Of course they can always secure enough policing and high tech toys. Maybe they could have given some of the "Homeland Security" money they won after spying on Peace Fresno to the museum. I'm sure getting a kid interested in art or science instead of violence is a form of Homeland Security.

When you have 25 years of Conservatives in control you lose your parks, your libraries, your community hospitals and your museums. You are left with over sized shopping centers, prisons, increased crime, and a less jobs.


I hope this makes voters realize they should never ever vote for Republicans, at least not in this century.
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The History of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science

In 1978, a group of Fresno civic leaders began to explore the possibility of creating a regional museum for the San Joaquin Valley. From 1981-1985, these members of the community raised more than $5.5 million to open the Met in the historic downtown site of the Fresno Bee building. The Museum opened its doors to the community on April 8, 1984.

Since that time, the Museum has attracted more than 2 million people with its programs in art and science with diverse exhibitions including A T. rex Named Sue, Masterworks from the Albertina, Georgia O'Keeffe: Visions of the Sublime, Variations on a Theme: American Prints from Pop Art to Minimalism—A Selection from the Anderson Graphic Arts Collection and Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body.' '

In 1995, the Museum became the first organization outside the Bay Area to win Northern California's "Award for Excellence" in non-profit management from Chevron and The Management Center of San Francisco. In 1995, the Met also received a Central California Excellence in Business Award in the non-profit category as presented by The Fresno Bee. The Museum has also been named the Best Museum each year since 1999 by the readers of The Fresno Bee. The Museum was granted American Association of Museums accreditation status in July 2007.

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Fresno Met Closure Leaves Major Void
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=7204813

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The closing of the Fresno Met Museum leaves a cultural void in the Valley. Now other local museums are worried about what the future holds.
local schoolchildren stand to lose the most. Their field trips were often eye-opening experiences.

Ten kids from Calwa Elementary were honored to cut the ribbon for the Met's grand re-opening November 13, 2008. Other students who raised money for the museum were also allowed in first.

But the museum they worked so hard to support is gone. It is a harsh lesson for kids looking forward to their next trip.

Alexander Mayo-Carter, a fourth-grader from Yokomi Elementary, said he was, "Sad because I wanted to see it more and learn more about science and history and other things."

The Met is one of over forty museums in the U.S. to close within a year because of the recession.

Across from the Met, Arte Americas is struggling to stay open in an area envisioned as Fresno's arts and cultural district.

Nene Casares said the Latino culture center will miss the Met's presence and foot traffic. "To have them go it's a huge loss to our community and to our valley because things they did nobody else can do. We are very sad they are leaving," said Casares.

The African-American Museum also relies on donations to operate and volunteers to spruce the place up.

Volunteer Coordinator Jerline Bishop said, "It's tough everywhere but we want to and we believe we have to keep the arts alive so we're doing as much as we can to keep that going."

Bishop hopes people saddened by the Met's closure will look to help out smaller museums.

Board Vice-President Julia Dudley-Najieb said, "I think it's so important to have arts and culture, especially when you're talking about the youth because that's the glue that holds them together and brings out a different kind of expression that you're not going to find anywhere else."
(Copyright ©2010 KFSN-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Statement from Fresno Metropolitan Museum President Stewart Randall

January 5, 2010

Dear Met Supporter and Friend,

A Museum is an exercise in hope. The impact that the arts play in the lives of the people that they touch and the experiences and memories that they create are life-long. Museums change people and communities over generations. While we may never know what caused the creative spark in a child during a museum visit we can see the fire of innovation, change and growth in our community that it ignited.

Your support has helped to keep this hope alive and burning in Fresno. The Fresno Metropolitan Museum has served nearly 3 million people over the last 25 years; 60% of those children. While we may never know if it was a visit to the Met that eventually led a child into a globally changing career in science or allowed a young artist to be inspired to change Fresno for the better, we do know that along with you we were there for a time, ready and able to light the fire.

It is with a heavy heart today that the Met says goodbye, closing its doors after more than two decades in Fresno. While the Museum has closed, please know that your support was not in vain; you helped to provide wonderful Museum experiences and allowed hundreds of thousands of families to grow together, learn, and see the world in a new way. Those memories will last a lifetime and for that gift we are eternally grateful.

With Hope,

Stewart Randall
President
on behalf of the Board of Trustees and Staff
of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum

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