The Liberace Museum in Las Vegas is closing it's doors due to financial troubles and what the board calls, "a waning interest". In reading the article, it seems that there are more troubles behind the scenes than just a lack of interest in the entertainer from the general public. What do you think are some of the major issues facing the museum? If you were involved with the museum, how might you have handled things differently (including the sale of the antique desk and staffing decisions)?
So I visited the Liberace Museum years ago on a weird, awesome family vacation. (It wasn't, I swear, our primary destination.) What strikes me about the story of the Museum's apparent mismanagement, controversies, and financial downfall, is that the board and staff seem to be entirely focused on the short-term financial decisions (or lack thereof), rather than working out a sustainable way for this museum to remain relevant in any way.
ReplyDelete"It’s Liberace cars, costumes and pianos," the article notes -- that's what the museum's audience, presumably fans, apparently wants to see. At least, that's how the museum sees itself. It's less an interpretation and more a shrine to a beloved personality. Having been there, this museum is not in danger of closing for want of enthusiasm on the part of the elderly docents. And heck, the museum owns the world's largest rhinestone!!
But seriously, I'm afraid the Liberace Museum, on its current scale, doesn't have a future. It's becoming irrelevant to any sustainable visitation. If they could get their managerial act together, reinterpret as a museum of mid-20th century American pop culture, and diversify the collection a little...than maybe there's a future there.
I think there were many questionable practices going on here. However, I think the end result was the best possible outcome. The people working at this museum didn’t seem completely equipped to run it properly (as was proved in the deaccessioning of the desk) so it seems best that the museum closed. I think that putting some of the contents in a traveling exhibition is a great alternative to having a physical museum. This seems like a better format for Las Vegas anyway; I don’t know many people who would purposefully visit a museum during a trip to Vegas. A small traveling exhibit of Liberace’s stuff would fit right in in casino lobbies (although I'm not quite where else)!
ReplyDeleteEmily and Katelyn,
ReplyDeleteInteresting points. I agree that a traveling exhibit of some of his more notable items (rhinestones galore!) would certainly fit into the Vegas casino scene. However, given the apparent financial mismanagement, would that be a realistic possibility?