A Note from the Director
You’ve Got to Accentuate the Positive
While the economic news has been bleak and the museum world is suffering from the same challenges as the private sector, I am trying to count LUMA’s blessings and see the glass as half-full. By partnering with other cultural institutions, we can ride out this economic storm and see it as both positive and enriching. The best models for this path are artists themselves, who have shown us that adversity often breeds creativity.
Tough times require creative thinking—not just on the part of cultural institutions but also of individuals who support and enjoy the arts. In accentuating the positive, please consider the following:
• Matching gifts: Find out if your employer offers such a program so your gift will make an even greater impact.
• Museum numbers: Visitor attendance figures attract grant funding and leverage other financial support.
• Many museums and other cultural institutions have free days so you can still support these places and save money.
LUMA is free all day—11 a.m. to 8 p.m.—on Tuesdays.
• Use your membership guest passes to bring others with you.
• Take advantage of preview rehearsals, free lectures and readings.
• University museums: Most have a minimal or suggested admission price. These institutions excel in presenting small yet interesting
changing exhibitions and permanent collections, like our own Martin D’Arcy Collection.
• Go paperless: Provide your e-mail address and save cultural institutions money on postage and printing while also preserving natural
resources. See this newsletter’s membership section to sign up to receive LUMA’s e-blasts, and forward our e-mails to your friends.
• Current programming: Use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to stay informed of the latest news.
• The arts as inflation fighters: Instead of commercial theater, attend college or community theater (Loyola’s theater department is a terrific
place to start) or attend concerts at churches and synagogues.
• Meet at the museum: Instead of meeting at a restaurant after work, find a museum that has extended hours to enjoy art and great
company.
• Volunteer: If you cannot give money, give some of your time. Volunteers subsidize arts organizations through the donation of millions of
work hours each year. Receive great perks and work with like-minded people eager to make a difference.
• Need a gift? Shop in museum stores for one-of-a-kind gifts.
• Hungry? Consider grabbing a bite at a museum café.
All of the staff at LUMA appreciates your continued support since we opened only 42 months ago. We would also like to thank you for your interest in all of Chicago’s arts organizations since we all feed the big creative picture that makes this city such an interesting, diverse and cosmopolitan place to live.
Pamela E. Ambrose
Director of Cultural Affairs