Ten kids from Calwa Elementary were honored to cut the ribbon for the Met's grand re-opening November 13, 2008. Other students who raised money for the museum were also allowed in first.
But the museum they worked so hard to support is gone. It is a harsh lesson for kids looking forward to their next trip.
Alexander Mayo-Carter, a fourth-grader from Yokomi Elementary, said he was, "Sad because I wanted to see it more and learn more about science and history and other things."
The Met is one of over forty museums in the U.S. to close within a year because of the recession.
Across from the Met, Arte Americas is struggling to stay open in an area envisioned as Fresno's arts and cultural district.
Nene Casares said the Latino culture center will miss the Met's presence and foot traffic. "To have them go it's a huge loss to our community and to our valley because things they did nobody else can do. We are very sad they are leaving," said Casares.
The African-American Museum also relies on donations to operate and volunteers to spruce the place up.
Volunteer Coordinator Jerline Bishop said, "It's tough everywhere but we want to and we believe we have to keep the arts alive so we're doing as much as we can to keep that going."
Bishop hopes people saddened by the Met's closure will look to help out smaller museums.
Board Vice-President Julia Dudley-Najieb said, "I think it's so important to have arts and culture, especially when you're talking about the youth because that's the glue that holds them together and brings out a different kind of expression that you're not going to find anywhere else."
