Thursday, February 26, 2009

More Museum Cuts

I mentioned the Detroit Insitute of Arts and the Las Vegas Museum of Art earlier this week.

Now, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has announced that it too is "cutting staff, delaying exhibitions, curtailing programs, trimming salaries and — subject to city approval — increasing admission fees." They're eliminating seven percent of the staff.

The High Museum in Atlanta also announced a series of budget cuts, including a similar seven percent reduction of its staff.

And today the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore announced it was laying off five percent of its staff and canceling a planned collaboration with the Musee d'Orsay and the Getty. Also, "earlier this year, Hackerman House, where the Walters' Asian art collection is displayed, was closed weekdays."

As museum consultant Libby Ellis said back in December, "most people have no idea how bad things are out there today."