Let’s talk about the general state of the consumer. Due to job loss, salary decreases, economic uncertainty, and the reality of saving for a rainy day, consumers are cutting back their spending. People are appreciating the simpler things in life. Family. Health. Art. A back to basics outlook.

Let’s talk about the Millennial generation. They were born between 1980 and 1995 (14-29 years old). They grew up with reality TV, received participation trophies for sitting the bench in little league, elected Obama for hope and change (even if they didn’t know what it meant), were born into prosperity and leisure, have seen art education go down the tubes in public schools, only take yes for an answer, and most of all they always come first.

Let’s talk about what this means for art and cultural institutions. Museums are seeing increased visitors and record participation in free activities, which can be attributed to the consumer’s need for affordable activities combined with a “back to basics” outlook. Most museums exist to preserve and share art with their communities, which means this is an exciting time for them. Michael Conforti, of the Association of Art Museum Directors, said it best “What is significant is that we’re performing our mission in a very special way in light of what people need at this time — stability and continuity.”

My prediction: We are experiencing the beginning of a new generation of art lovers.  A generation that has never seen a difficult economic time. A generation that needs to be shaken to its core to see the important things in life. A generation that is seeing art for the first time and developing a love and appreciation for the institutions that provide it.

Will this generation shake their stereotypical “its all about me” approach to life and step-up to be the next generation that supports the institutions that were there for them when the world was uncertain? Will they help to preserve culture and art for their children and grandchildren? I think so.

Record visitation is unfortunately coinciding with shrunken endowments and less-wealthy benefactors. This means that museums have less money to serve an increasing number of visitors. It is more important than ever for us (regardless of generation) to support these institutions.