NMI Museum: Worth nine hours of CUC operations

I attended the forum on public utilities held on Tuesday, June 17, at the Multi-Purpose Center. Thank you to the coordinators of the event and to all of the attendees. I believe that the involvement of citizens in their governance, beyond just the election process, is important to a strong democracy and to improving public services.

A comment that did not speak directly to the provision of public utilities but was directed at the NMI Museum and the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture was made by Mr. Curt Klemstein at the forum. Mr. Klemstein’s specific statement was “we don’t need the Arts Council or the Museum.”

Although the forum was not the appropriate venue for a response to his statement, as the former executive director of the CCAC and the present executive director of the NMI Museum, and as his comment was proffered before a significant audience, I feel a public response is appropriate.

If the point Mr. Klemstein may have been trying to make was the necessity to reduce government spending in general, then I generally agree with him. It is important, however, that such actions be considered thoughtfully and intelligently, and as the product of a comprehensive review of all of the programs and services of the government. Our elected leaders and the community should certainly make determinations as to what services are important to them. Knee-jerk witch-hunts, however, are usually counterproductive.

The fact is, the CCAC receives more in federal and other grant monies than it gets through its local budget. The Commonwealth would be losing money if they were to be closed down. The CCAC brings in a quarter of a million dollars a year in direct federal funding, plus additional funds through specific programs with other organizations. Although I left the CCAC some years ago, I do still believe this is the case. Aside from those outside funds brought into the CNMI directly, there are the indirect economic, social and cultural benefits that come from its programs. The Flame Tree Arts Festival, for example, draws artists from throughout Micronesia, who spend at our stores and hotels. It also draws significant publicity and off-island visitors. Talk to some of the hotel managers during the Festival and most note a large increase in occupancy during the Festival dates, with many hotels booked solid.

The NMI Museum is by law the repository of all of the historic objects of the CNMI, charged with their preservation, management and maintenance. In addition to its primary function of the management of this ever-growing collection of documents, textiles, photographs and objects, we carry out school programs, we maintain a gallery and small gift shop, we see thousands of primary and secondary students per year, and provide assistance to a variety of Northern Marianas College classes, and CNMI students abroad. The NMI Museum sees researchers on a regular basis, from Guam, Japan, Australia, Korea, the mainland United States and Europe. The NMI Museum regularly provides research related to land matters, ammunition depots, chemical storage areas, past commercial activity, and other matters that require research of historic information. The Museum is the end recipient of all of the historic material derived from land surveys and pre-development archaeological work. The Museum also provides an important activity for thousands of our off-island visitors annually.

The NMI Museum is the product of two decades of work, and millions of dollars in initial investment. Over the past decade, the Museum has worked to see the repatriation of a significant number of collections of the historic objects of the CNMI held nationally and internationally. These collections include objects held in foreign museums, by various armed services, private company collections and personal collections. On an almost weekly basis, the Museum receives collections of photos and artifacts from the spouses and families of U.S. soldiers who served here in WWII, from the families of Japanese who lived here before the war or served during the war, from local families who’ve contributed their entire photo collections, and from former residents who collected pre-contact objects. In every instance, whether the material was turned over from another Museum, the Navy, or from a family’s personal collection, the repatriation of these objects would not have happened without the existence of the Museum. In many cases, these items were turned over with specific promises regarding their care.

These services and more are carried out on a shoestring budget. By my calculations, the Museum’s entire current year’s budget would cover approximately nine hours of CUC’s fuel and operations. I would hope that the collection, care and maintenance of our historic objects and other services provided by this Commonwealth’s Museum over the course of an entire year are worth at least the equivalent of nine hours of CUC operations.

I would also note that Museum personnel have been reduced by more than half, from 10 at one point to the current four staff. The Museum has had no “all others” funding available to it since December of 2007. Operational supplies such as gallery light bulbs and bathroom tissue, lawn maintenance equipment, computer equipment, and vehicles and fuel to carry out Museum business have, with the exception of small donations, been provided out-of-pocket by the staff themselves. Staff also volunteer their unpaid time to keep the Museum open on Saturdays, and to open late or on weekends for tours, presentations and other special activities.

The community needs to come together to discuss and work toward solutions for our public utilities, and the operations and direction of our government in general. We need to do this, however, in an intelligent and thoughtful way. Simply stating “we don’t need” a particular public service, without having all of the facts or taking into account all of the considerations, is neither appropriate nor prudent.

It is my opinion, and I hope the opinion of many others in our community, that the preservation and management of the cultural and historic objects of the CNMI, that represent hundreds and thousands of years of the very unique history of these islands and her people, is worth immensely more than the equivalent of nine hours of power each year.

We thank the community for your support, and look forward to seeing you at your Museum.