By Eric Stock
SPRINGFIELD – There is a new push to keep the Illinois State Museum open.
State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, has introduced a bill that would require the state to continue operating its museums. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has said closing the Springfield museum, as well as the museums at Dickson Mounds, Lockport, Rend Lake and the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago would save the state $5 million annually.
Beth Whisman with the McLean County Museum of History told WJBC’s Dan Swaney closing the state museum would limit the artifacts that could be brought to Bloomington.
“We work with our partners in Springfield and say ‘These are the items we are hoping to get on long-term loan or these are the videos we might need’,” Whisman said. “They say to us ‘We can’t have that conversation because they are going to shut us down, so we have to bring these all of these artifacts back in.”
Whisman said closing the state museum would be drastic.
“If you cut budgets they can deal with it and figure it out,” Whisman said. “If you shut it down, they lose things like their accreditation to the American Alliance of Museums. If you shut it down, they can’t loan out objects or properly preserve objects anymore.”
Several hundred museum supporters rallied at the state capitol on Tuesday.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
Alex Degman/Illinois Radio Network contributed to this report.
