Agnes Gund: "Small is Beautiful" Defends Local Community Arts

I don't have time to dig it up, but earlier this year the new NEA head made comments that implied a need to concentrate support to a smaller number of large institutions--many of whom --MOMA, The Met, The Philadelphia Museum, Getty etc.. could likely very well fund themselves. He later clarified this view as seen in the link.

I just came across this defence of the small by the famous philanthropist, Agnes Gund.

"Big national museums have the idea that museums should help generate strong communities; it is something they work at. But museums like the Demuth relate to their communities in ways that precede policy and require less systematic effort. They practice community building by being a part of the community -- by inhabiting the soil and customs and histories of their regions. Their natural mission is to help define their communities, to help them grow and change. What I have come to appreciate is the presence in all America's places, large and small, east to west, of cultural institutions at home."

Hat tip to Brent Burket, who tweeted this link.