Anchorage, Alaska – Museums Alaska representatives—Dixie Clough, director of Museums Alaska, and Patty Relay, executive director of the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive and Museums Alaska Treasurer—will join hundreds of museum advocates in-person in Washington, D.C. on February 27-28 to petition our government and make the case for museums.

Joined by museum leaders from across the country, representatives from Museums Alaska will be meeting with members of Congress and their staffs to make the case for federal support of America’s museums. They will be among hundreds of museum professionals and supporters from across the country participating in the 15th annual Museums Advocacy Day, organized by the American Alliance of Museums, taking place in Washington, D.C. on February 27-28.

Prior to the pandemic, museums supported more than 726,000 American jobs and contributed $50 billion annually to the U.S. economy. The economic activity of museums generates more than $12 billion in annual tax revenue, with one-third of it going to state and local governments. Each job created by the museum sector results in $16,495 in additional tax revenue.

Congress faces a vast list of policy issues, many of which can have a lasting impact on museums. Among other issues, museum advocates will urge Congress to increase funding for federal agencies that help museums serve their communities in essential ways, such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services, enact legislation to increase charitable giving, and support museums’ important and expanding role in education.

“In order for Museums Alaska, and the museums they serve across the country, to continue to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, we have to ensure that legislation at the federal level provides a level playing field in terms of the tax code and federal funding,” said Dixie Clough, director of Museums Alaska.

“Museums Alaska is proud to be a partner in Museums Advocacy Day 2023 in service of the museum field, and advocate for the enormous and critical positive impact museums have on the economy, education and our communities.”

“Museums are essential to our country, as part of our educational infrastructure, as economic engines, and as community anchors,” said Alliance president and CEO Laura L. Lott. “From addressing students’ learning loss during the pandemic to supporting community members’ mental health needs to addressing the climate crisis, museums continue to demonstrate the many ways they are vital to their communities and to helping society navigate many of our most pressing issues.”

Learn more about Museums Advocacy Day 2023 by visiting: aam-us.org/museums-advocacy

  Alaska, congress, funding, museums