Abstract

With the opening of its first public museum in 1773, the United States has given birth to a dynamic museum system that closely reflects its social, economic and political history. From a period when most museums focused on natural sciences, these institutions have often turned to the arts and grown in size and number not thanks to local or federal government programs but thanks to philanthropy and private giving for funding and collections. They became nonprofit organizations run by trustees by the end of the 19th century. More than half the museums were founded after 1950 and they number over 13 000 nowadays. But one flaw mars the system: these institutions have always been faced with financial shortages due to insufficient private and government support. In the 1990s, large museums decided to come to grips with the problem by overhauling their role in society and by functioning like private enterprises using marketing and communication, developing fundraising programs and diversifying their cultural activities towards a wider audience. However the financial standing of most museums, in particular small ones which represent a majority in the USA, remains vulnerable.