A complete guide to the ten steps of museum development — from the first community meeting through opening day and beyond. Based on thirty years of practice across forty museums.
Starting a museum is a complex, multi-year process — and one of the most meaningful things a community can do for itself. Since 1992, Mark Walhimer has been part of opening and expanding more than forty museums. The steps below reflect what actually works, drawn from that experience across science centers, children's museums, natural history museums, history museums, and cultural centers.
A museum is not a building. It is an institution with a mission, a community, and a financial model that has to work on day one and on day 3,650. The building is the last thing to figure out, not the first.
"The best museums are those that grow out of a community need — not out of a collection looking for a home, or a building looking for a purpose."
Before taking any of the steps below, answer these three questions honestly. If you can't answer them, the ten steps that follow will tell you how to find the answers.
These steps do not need to happen in strict sequence — some overlap, some run in parallel. But the order matters more than it might seem. Step 7 (raise money) should not come before steps 1 through 6 have produced something worth funding.
What type of museum? Science center? Art museum? Local history? Community cultural center? Be specific. Try to think fifty years into the future. What changes might affect this institution's ability to thrive? What could hamper it?
Invite politicians, parents, teachers, school superintendents, and real estate developers. Ask what type of museum the community wants. Do not show drawings. Do not describe what you are planning. Listen. Collect names and emails for future meetings.
Visit twenty museums of the type you want to open. Keep notes. What is their annual attendance? Ticket price? Operating costs? What does the floor staff wear? Ask for a back-of-house tour. Join a museum association and get involved. Take everything you learn back to your community.
Every museum project has in some way been motivated by real estate. Make friends with developers. You are supplying a community resource — that resonates. But do not make any agreements with developers until you have raised more than half your capital.
As a rule of thumb: exhibition space is roughly half the total building. A 4,500 sq ft exhibition space becomes a 9,000 sq ft building — at $200–300/sq ft for new construction, that's $1.8–2.7M in construction alone, before fit-out. Create a business plan. Can you earn at least 50% of yearly expenses? Be conservative on attendance. Plan to year three, not to opening day.
Research the search terms that describe your museum. The more specific the name, the better — "San Francisco Maritime Museum," not "Bay Area Heritage Center." Purchase relevant domains. Establish a digital presence before you open your doors.
Wait to form the 501(c)(3) until you have community momentum — it's an advantage to build support before formalizing. Then organize a board of 15–20 people including politicians, business leaders, educators, real estate developers, and potential major donors. A larger board is appropriate while raising funds.
Create a small version of the planned museum — even temporary, even modest. The preview facility is your most powerful fundraising tool. You can walk donors through a physical version of the vision. Engage architects and exhibition designers at reduced fees in exchange for the full contract when funding is secured.
With approximately half the funding in hand, announce a capital campaign. Use the board — each member should either contribute a major gift or find someone who will. With a preview facility and architectural renderings in hand, approach individuals, foundations, and businesses. Do not announce naming opportunities until you are confident of reaching your campaign goal.
Continue delivering community programming while designing and building. Hire an architect, general contractor, and executive director. Plan the opening. After opening, receive community feedback, improve operations, and evaluate the visitor experience. The opening is not the end — it is the beginning of the planning cycle.
Cost is the most common place museums get into trouble — not because the numbers are wrong, but because the assumptions behind them are optimistic. A few benchmarks from practice:
Before committing capital, commission a feasibility study. It will model your attendance projections, operating costs, and revenue assumptions against real data from comparable institutions — and tell you whether the museum can actually survive. See: What is a Museum Feasibility Study →
Mark Walhimer is the author of Museums 101 (AAM Press, 2015) and Designing Museum Experiences (AAM Press, 2021) — both written as practical guides for exactly this process.
Forty museums. One methodology. Every engagement starts with a conversation — no cost, no obligation.
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