NYTime’s Kimmelman again takes museums to task for selling out to private interests. Another column of his was mentioned by yours truly on this post.

Museums are putting everything up for sale, from their artwork to their authority. And it’s going cheap.

via: What Price Love? Museums Sell Out

A key section:

With faith goes the delicate ecosystem of charitable contributions and tax-free privileges. Why, the public will ask, do institutions like these reap the benefits of nonprofit status if they service private interests who shape the content of what’s on view and/or reap cash rewards?

Indeed. These new trends could fuel right-wing attacks on non-profit art institution’s tax exemption. There have already been a few shots across the bow on the subject (can’t find the info, but I remember some legislator trying to take away the Met Museum’s exemption due to their museum stores having an unfair advantage due to the exemption).

What sucks (hard) is that the right can attack museums and other non-profit orgs that support traditionally liberal constituencies (artists) with practically no political down-side. While a left attack on their tax-exempt support base (churches) would be political suicide for any democrat. We’re not in a good position on this one. permanent link to this post