MUSEUMS EXHIBITING GROWING ATTENDANCE

Attendance at six county museums generally has trended upward during the last five years. The numbers below include all museum programs: exhibits, classes, workshops and tours.

The numbers for Laguna Art Museum, Irvine Fine Arts Center and Discovery Museum of Orange County all represent fiscal years; the Newport Harbor Art Museum and Muckenthaler Cultural Center make their count by calendar year.

The Discovery Museum of Orange County opened in 1985.

The Fullerton Museum Center was closed for renovation between September, 1985 and March, 1988. Since its reopening, the count has spanned the year from March, 1988 to March, 1989. The 1989 figures represent the seven-month period from March, 1989 to October, 1989.

The Laguna Art Museum closed its main branch for renovation in October, 1984 and the South Coast Plaza site opened to fill the gap. The numbers shown for 1985 and 1986 represent attendance at the South Coast Plaza site only. The Laguna Beach main site reopened in September, 1986; beginning in fiscal year 1987, the numbers reflect attendance at both museum sites.

Discovery Museum of Orange County

1988-89: 20,000

1987-88: 13,000

1986-87: 9,000

1985-86: 2,500

Fullerton Museum Center

March, 1989-October, 1989: 18,000

March, 1988-March, 1989: 39,000

1987-88: N/A

1986-87: N/A

1985-86: N/A

1984-85: 25,000

Irvine Fine Arts Center

1988-89: 63,923

1987-88: 60,683

1986-87: 56,406

1985-86: 52,025

1984-85: 34,105

Laguna Art Museum

1988-89: 116,000

1987-88: 98,000

1986-87: 100,897

1985-86: 95,971

1984-85: 75,612

1983-84: 69,297

Muckenthaler Cultural Center

1989: 37,000

1988: 30,000

1987: 22,000

1986: 18,012

1985: 15,000

Newport Harbor Art Museum

1989: N/A

1988: 81,718

1987: 82,815

1986: 73,678

1985: 69,630

N/A: Information not available

Source: Individual museums