Angeli's bio

Having grown up as the child of immigrant parents, I was always interested in global affairs and traveling. It helped that my parents took us all over the world to visit different cultures. I decided to expand upon this idea and spend my entire university career abroad in Scotland at the University of St Andrews. I enjoyed myself studying in another country so much that I will be starting a double masters at Peking University in Beijing and the London School of Economics in International Affairs.

I have enjoyed working at the Chicago Cultural Alliance immensely because I am able to learn about the numerous ethnic communities in Chicago and how they have joined to form museums and the Alliance. It has been especially interesting to see how the economic downturn is affecting the communities in Chicago, when the larger media mainly ignores this subject.

While I did not know that much about social networking when I started this internship, I feel confident enough now to hold a workshop to instruct people on how use these sites more effectively. We continually hear about a generational difference in these communities, and social networking is just one way to try to reach out to the younger generations.

My work on the Talking Im/migration includes attending a very interesting workshop on telling immigrant stories, and a lot of work with Rebeccah and Mario and Rosa at The Field Museum.

I have learned a lot about working in a non-profit, and working with the many different ethnic communities in Chicago. I will be sad to go!

The True Effect of the Recession on Museums

The Chicago Tribune been reporting on how the recession has led to cuts in larger cultural organizations and museums across Chicago, and we have reported on the effect on the smaller ones. But how far have these cuts in staff, space and loss of endowments actually affected these centers? The Chicago Tribune and Associated Press ran an article on April 6th that highlighted the rising attendance in some of the large museums in America that have actually cut staff and budgets. You can read the article here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-museum-woes-0406apr06,0,6476745.story. The article quotes Michael Conforti, president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, as saying "The public may not see this level of cuts [5-15%] as significantly as the staff do themselves."

Budget cuts and staff reduction really hurt the smaller organizations. Chicago's small to mid-sized ethnic museums and centers were already juggling the challenges of tight funding, an overworked staff and high demand for their programs and services. While Conforti's statement about the effect of staff and budget cuts is certainly true for large museums, the decrease in foundation giving and individual donations will even more dramatically affect the Alliance's core membership. At least 37% of our members that normally function with paid staff have laid off staff members, all of whom are integral to the healthy functioning of these organizations.

A possible positive consequence for our small museums is that families may now view trips to these institutions as a cheap, fun family outing. Many of the small ethnic and cultural museums in Chicago already offer low admission prices and are great alternatives to far more costly outings for families. For example, the Swedish American Museum offers a $10 family rate, the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture charges $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12 and the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian suggests a $5 donation for every adult.

While the Alliance knows that the current economic climate will make our core members struggle as they try to balance budget cuts and staff reductions on an already tight staff, we know that it can present some new opportunities as well. Our core members now have the chance to attract new audiences with their low cost alternatives to some of Chicago's larger cultural organizations and museums.

The Dark and Bright Sides of the Economic Downturn

The dismal state of the economy is news to no one. For our core members, it has only exacerbated problems that, in many cases, already existed before September 2008. Some lack physical spaces for operations or programming, or struggle with engaging a sufficient diversity of participants through the events and services they offer. The sinking economy has meant diminished grants and dwindling private donations, and less capital translates to reductions in staffs that were, in many cases, already minimal. While tightened belts are ubiquitous these days, the ramifications can be much more severe within small organizations that are limited in their capabilities and assets, as many of our core members are. The solutions will require optimism, flexibility, and creativity (and the support of enthusiastic, caring communities, which is valued in any economic climate).

Luckily, our members are up to the task, ready to make lemonades out of financial lemons. This is an opportunity for our organizations to retrench and re-focus on individual missions and objectives. It is an occasion for increased cooperation, for organizations to work together to obtain funding, and to encourage cross contact between members and their communities. Members can be one another’s sounding boards, sharing their difficulties and hopes, and providing advice and encouragement. Not only can effective programs from one organization be made replicable for other members, but groups can also program collaboratively and develop mutual events that would involve multiple institutions and communities. These ideas can help core members and the Alliance as a whole maintain momentum and better weather the current economic storm.

The most crucial support, of course, comes from an interested, encouraging public that wants to see the diverse patchwork of Chicago’s ethnic communities continue to thrive. Our core members always welcome assistance in any form; if the economic situation means that you have more time than money on your hands, you can volunteer, or attend one of our members’ varied events, which can be found here or by visiting a member website.

Stimulus for the Arts?

President Obama's stimulus package might have something in it to make local Chicago art and cultural centers happy. $50 million of the Recovery Act was allocated to the National Endowment of the Arts, which can be passed on to centers in Chicago through grants from the Illinois Arts Council. While the economy is hitting everyone hard, local museums have been struggling to make ends meet. As the Tribune reported in February, even the big museums are having to shorten opening times, cut staff and are losing endowment funds. You can read the full article here: http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/feb/06/local/chi-museums-economy-06-feb06. Concern over whether family budgets can still accommodate trips to museums and cultural centers have left many worried. While this money it is to be spread across the nation, it is good to see recognition from the government on the hard work that nonprofit art and cultural centers put into local communities. Medhill Reports Chicago discovered,

In Chicago, nonprofit arts and cultural organizations generate $1.09 billion in revenue, support 30,134 jobs, and deliver over $103 million in tax revenue to local and state government, according to the Illinois Arts Alliance. In Illinois, 23,643 creative enterprises employ 132,882 people, according to Americans for the Arts.

You can read the full Medhill Reports article on this issue at http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=123959.


This contribution to the local communities should not fall victim to the economic crisis, and we can all help out these centers. Visit http//chicagoculturalalliance.org/events/ for a listing of upcoming events across Chicago. Some are even free!