Embracing change
Museums like Living History Farms have a tremendous opportunity to build and provide lasting benefit to their communities. Ninety-seven percent of Americans trust museums as community education assets, and this is a responsibility Living History Farms does not take lightly.*
Founded in 1970, we are proud to be Iowa’s largest nationally recognized agricultural living history museum. After 50 years of delivering mission-related programming, in spring 2020 we were awarded accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums — the gold standard of museum excellence. This accreditation recognizes our commitment to carrying out our public trust, collections stewardship and educational roles. Of the nation’s 33,000 museums, only 3% are currently accredited. As the ultimate mark of distinction in the museum field, accreditation signifies excellence and credibility to the museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. Earning this recognition took years of effort by our staff, along with the support of our board of directors and the generosity of the community. We committed ourselves to the dream of accreditation in 2010. It became a reality a full decade later — just as the world turned upside down.
The global pandemic forced us to undertake new initiatives nearly overnight, both to safeguard our on-site guests’ health and to increase our virtual outreach opportunities. At the same time, our team continued long-term planning for ways to improve the visitor experience, ranging in scope from offering a specific new class to building an endowment five times our annual operating budget to launching a capital campaign for infrastructure improvements. No matter the scale, here are the key lessons we have learned:
Embrace change. It is ever-present, and that is good.
Change requires shared commitment and even stepping outside our comfort zone.
Some stakeholders will resist change, even internally
Partnerships make all the difference.
Be patient. Taking the risk will be rewarded, but it does take time.
In addition to the accreditation process, we recently had the opportunity to advance our efforts to become a more inclusive organization through our participation in two cohorts: the national Cultural Competence Leadership Institute, and the local arts, culture, and heritage organizations facilitated by BRAVO Greater Des Moines. These opportunities showed us that our community impact will be stronger when diverse cultural perspectives are represented and supported throughout our organization and the broader museum sector. Living History Farms has the potential to become an even stronger ally for underrepresented voices and, as a result, build lasting and meaningful connections with the whole community. From the development of a public land acknowledgement sign to the creation of an Indigenous Iowans Day event to hosting a naturalization ceremony honoring immigrants of the past as well as today, Living History Farms is committed to telling more inclusive stories of all Iowans.
On a deeper level, we have worked internally to enhance our staff’s cultural competence, and we have had difficult discussions, leading us to broaden our mission. This strategic initiative would not have been possible without the support of volunteers including our board of directors, companies like EMC and organizations like the National Endowment for the Humanities, whose grant funding allowed us to try new programs and events this year.
Even so, we encountered resistance from longtime volunteers and from the public. One social media post in particular ranted that as a “lily-white” organization, we should not engage in this type of programming. We are grateful that people like Iowa Juneteenth General Chairperson Dwana Bradley, Judges Odell McGhee and Michael Streit, and Indiana University professor Dr. Valerie Grim were willing to partner and guide us in the planning and delivery of these new programs. As a result, we are changing the internal culture of our organization. Some might say, “I visit to experience the tradition of going to these events each year with my family.” But we also hope others will also say, “I have never visited, and now I want to experience these new events and what Living History Farms has to offer.”
We know this is a lifelong journey for each of us as individuals and for our organization as a whole. We are excited for the next chapter of Living History Farms as we embark on a much-awaited capital campaign that will transform our seasonal museum into a year-round destination for the community to enjoy. We are excited to share more of our plans in the near future. More change is coming — stay tuned!
*“Museums and Public Opinion,” American Alliance of Museums, 2018
Why is philanthropy important to our community?
Philanthropy builds community. As a nonprofit museum, we could not offer our programs and events without the support of donors and volunteers. Thankfully, I have witnessed firsthand that the people of Iowa are generous and overachievers when it comes to giving their time, talents and treasures. This generosity has transformed not just Living History Farms but also the Science Center of Iowa and the Blank Park Zoo into great places for all to enjoy. It will also ensure that these cultural attractions will be here for future generations.
