BY CAROLYN GRANT
Executive Director
MUSEUM OF MAKING MUSIC
Each year nearly 850 million people visit an American museum.
Museums are trusted and valuable community anchors. In fact, museums are considered a supremely reliable source of information and 98% of Americans across all ages, races, and geographical locations, consider museums to be educational. Museums are also economic engines contributing $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year and supporting more than 726,000 American jobs. The economic activity of museums generates more than $12 billion in tax revenue, one-third of it going to state and local governments. Seventy-six percent of all U.S. leisure travelers participate in cultural or heritage activities such as visiting museums. These travelers spend 60 percent more on average than other leisure travelers. In addition to this economic impact and cultural value, the museum field is deeply committed to diversity and equal opportunity for all and works to ensure that people of all backgrounds have access to high-quality museum experiences.1
In San Diego County, we are fortunate to have access to an eclectic array of excellent museums and to have an organization, the San Diego Museum Council (SDMC), that promotes these institutions, connecting us to the vibrant exhibitions, events, and opportunities in
our region. One of SDMC’s signature programs is San Diego Museum Month which takes place throughout the month of February across San Diego County. This annual initiative offers visitors half-priced admission at over 40 museums. Participating museums in North County San Diego include Lux Art Institute, California Surf Museum, Oceanside Museum of Art, California Center for the Arts-Escondido Museum, the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum, Mission San Luis Rey Museum, San Diego Archaeological Center, San Diego Botanic Garden, and the Museum of Making Music. The Museum Month discount pass is available at many local libraries (including our own Carlsbad Library). For detailed information and a complete list of participating Museum Month institutions, please visit www.sandiegomuseumcouncil.org.
Without too long of a drive, you can discover unique worlds at each location. You can even plan a fun day at four distinct destinations within about a 1-mile radius in Carlsbad: the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation, the GIA Museum, the Green Dragon Tavern and Museum and the Museum of Making Music are all located just off the 5 freeway near Palomar Airport Road and Cannon Road. At the Museum of Making Music, for example, visitors can experience the newest special exhibition, Music from the Sound Up: The Creative Tools of Synthesis. In this highly interactive exhibition, children and adults are invited to create their own unique sound using a process called “synthesis.” It is a progressive experience: the visitor starts at the first station with a simple sound wave, then manipulates and modifies that wave at six additional stations. Once the sound is built, visitors can hear what their creation sounds like using a variety of instruments. Visitors also discover the fascinating story behind the art of synthesis, a story that begins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the world was becoming increasingly electrified, and musicians and scientists began using electrical current to build sound. For more information on the Museum of Making Music, please visit www.museumofmakingmusic.org.
On behalf of all of us working in the museum field to preserve, interpret, celebrate and share our world’s rich history, we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you.