Preservation organizations struggle to make ends meet with decreasing numbers of foundation partners, major donors and members. In our state, several municipalities have attempted to tear down local landmarks that they own. 6 There have been efforts to de-designate historic districts, gut preservation ordinances, cut state and local preservation office budgets and eliminate incentives.

Rather than being hailed as a solution, preservation is criticized, challenged, marginalized and even vilified. Why do I think that the historic preservation movement is facing a “crisis”? The preservation field is reckoning with its relevance. In this way, Simon shows us that to be relevant is to genuinely engage people in defining what they value and want and then responding with accessible, relatable, applicable and effective solutions. 5 If we measure relevance by people’s actions, then the MAH clearly hit the mark. With this approach, attendance tripled and the MAH’s bank account went from $16,000 to $1.6 million in Simon’s first five years as its director. Knowing what the surrounding community wanted enabled the museum to deliver relevant programs. The MAH “did not matter enough to enough people in our community.” 4 Simon engaged people living near the MAH in a conversation about what programs they would find meaningful. The museum had no money and most Santa Cruzans weren’t aware that it existed. 3 When Simon arrived at the MAH in May 2011, she found a museum in trouble. Simon gave a 2017 TEDX Talk about the collective work to make the MAH more relevant to its community. It opens doors to experiences that matter to us, surprise us, and bring value into our lives.” – Nina Simon, “The Art of Relevance” 2 Nina Simon, former Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH), wrote another perspective on relevance in her book, “The Art of Relevance.” 1 “Relevance is a key that unlocks meaning. Preservation is relevant to those who care about the problem our work helps solve. That’s how I described relevance in the first blog post. So, a movement is relevant when people see it as a solution to a problem facing something they value. The definition of “relevance” refers to something being practical, connected and relatable. My first blog post introduced The Relevancy Project as a response to the idea that the professional preservation movement (“we”) faces a relevancy crisis. Photo by Landmarks Illinois.) JBy Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO, Landmarks Illinois

The council was discussing their staff’s recommendation to demolish the Harley Clarke Mansion, a local landmark and National Register-listed property owned by the City of Evanston itself. (A preservation advocate holds up a protest sign at the City of Evanston, Illinois City Council meeting on June 18, 2018.

Nina simon the art of relevance