Return to Nicholas Johnson's Iowa Rain Forest ("Earthpark") Web Site

Return to Nicholas Johnson's Blog, FromDC2Iowa
 
 

[Note: This material is copyright by the Press-Citizen, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Iowa City Press-Citizen.]

Nationwide, attendance at museums was stagnant from 2000 to 2005, according to a 2006 survey by the American Association of Museums.

But luckily for museums in Iowa City and West Branch, attendance fees are not the mainstay of funding for programs and exhibits.

The University of Iowa Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History is free for all guests. The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is free for children younger than 16, with certain days where the museum and site is free to everyone.

On Tuesday, 80 fourth-graders from Wilkins Elementary in Marion visited the Museum of Natural History and the Old Capitol Museum as part of their study of Iowa and the regions of the United States, teacher Edie Hines said.

The visit to the Old Capitol helps the students learn about the states and their capitols, she said. While at the natural history museum, the displays help with science and social science lessons.

"So far, our district has always made it a priority" to continue to have field trips, Hines said, adding that she has brought students to the natural history museum for about 20 years.

"The kids seem to remember it," she said.

Hines said she takes her class on one to three field trips a year.

"This is kind of our big one," she said. While in Iowa City, the students rotated through three stations: Iowa Hall and Mammal Hall in the Museum of Natural History and the Old Capitol.

Perry Ross, co-director of instruction for the Iowa City School District, said local students continue to take field trips despite tighter budgets and constraints from the No Child Left Behind Act. One annual trip is for third-graders to go to the art museum, he said.

"We think they're a valuable experience for the kids," as long as the trip can be connected to the curriculum, he said. "Generally, they're a memorable experience for the kids."

Ross said Iowa City School District students might take about one field trip per grade level.

"Love it or hate it, No Child Left Behind" has affected museum attendance, UI Museum of Art director Howard Collinson said.

Despite that, Collinson said attendance is similar to last year -- between 40,000 and 50,000 visitors.

To continue to attract new guests, Collinson said the museum advertises and works to put together an interesting schedule of exhibits.

The museum also offers to subsidize the cost of busing for school groups, he said.

Timothy Walch, director of the Hoover Presidential Library, said exhibits such as The Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and this year's "The Sixties: The Times They are a-Changin'" exhibit, have been popular.

"You just never know," Walch said.

Children make up 40 percent of the attendees at the West Branch facility, he said.

At the Museum of Natural History, school-age children make up about a third of the total visitor base, curator David Brenzel said. Located in Macbride Hall, it is the oldest museum in Iowa.

In recent years, "flat would be how you describe our attendance, too," Brenzel said, referring to the national trend.

The national history museum faced a "triple whammy" of reasons for fewer school tours: the Old Capitol fire, which closed one of the three parts of the tour kids usually take while they are there; the No Child Left Behind Act; and school budget concerns, he said.

To combat this, the museum did much work to the mammal and bird exhibits on the third floor, he said. Also, the natural history and Old Capitol museums extended hours and began offering more weekend programming.

"That worked out really well," he said.

Since the Old Capitol reopened in early May, attendance has been booming.

"We're off to a grand start," said Pamela Trimpe, director of the Old Capitol Museum and Museum of Natural History.

In five months, there have been more than 15,000 visitors to the Old Capitol, she said. Before the fire, the Old Capitol Museum had about 30,000 visitors each year.

"We're running way ahead of schedule," she said.

• University of Iowa Museum of Art: Open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is free.
• Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $6 for adults ages 16 to 61, $3 for seniors ages 62 and older and free for children younger than 16.
• University of Iowa Museum of Natural History: Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday. Admission is free.
• Old Capitol Museum: Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday. Admission is free.