ABSTRACT
With shifting racial and ethnic demographics and growing pressure to diversify the ranks of cultural supporters, it is now more important than ever to gain insight into how different types of patrons value cultural organizations. Yet, the conventional approach to cultural patronage emphasizes how there is a shared set of values among upper-middle- and upper-class supporters. This chapter takes an alternative approach. It summarizes ethnographic research on how upper-middle- and upper-class patrons from various racial and ethnic groups, professions, age cohorts, and lifestyle groups define the value of African American museums in distinctive ways. These findings are also placed in a broader context to address patron diversity at “mainstream” museums and other types of ethnic museums (such as Latinx, Asian American, and tribal museums) in the United States and across the globe.
