Children's Museum Moving to Prince George's County

Jane points out this latest development (see this article from the WJLA website) and wonders what we think.

I said two things even before I found the article:

1. It doesn't surprise me at all, given the cost of land in the area where they intended to put it, as well as the internal capabilities of the organization. Where in PG? Now that I think about it, it's the kind of thing that Peterson would probably want to get in National Harbor...
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And that's where it turns out that it is ending up...
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2. Creating institutions such as this in this region is very difficult. The only local capital is based on development, and the possessors of this capital tend to not be very charitable, unless they can see very specific profit maximizing objectives being met.
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ALL THE MORE REASON THAT WE NEED TO SET PRIORITIES FOR CULTURAL RESOURCES AND INSTITUTIONS AT THE CITY-WIDE LEVEL, AND PLAN AND FUND THESE KINDS OF ACTIVITIES ACCORDINGLY.

See this past blog entry, "Cultural resources planning in DC: In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."
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The City of Washington is getting its clocked clean, given failures of internal governance, leadership, and planning.

National Harbor is one. The kinds of cultural institutions locating in Montgomery County are another (Strathmore, AFI Theater). The continued financial exigence of many cultural institutions within the City is yet another. The relocation of the Washington Glass School to Prince George's county and the closure of the Washington Sculpture Center as a result of dislocation resulting from the Baseball Stadium too. So is the lack of leadership on "creative economy" type issues within the city.

The list grows longer.