Brooklyn Museum

Heard from The Brooklyn Paper, "The Brooklyn Museum, facing dire financial straits, quietly announced a bevy of emergency measures including cancelling a major art exhibition, furloughing all staff, slashing salaries and offering buyouts to its 281 full-time employees."

In a press release on the museum's website, they state, "Among measures to increase revenues are a recent increase in suggested admissions fees, from $8 to $10 for adults and $6 to $8 for senior and students, a commitment from all Brooklyn Museum Trustees to maintain or increase their financial support, and an enhanced program of traveling exhibition development."

This statement is very telling. First, a "suggested" admission fee increase probably won't cut it. What about going to Target or Ikea and pitch that they subsidize the fee increase? I know that the museum hasn't increased their admission fees since 04!

Next, it sounds like a few of their trustees aren't maintaining their financial support. I think this is very common now days. It has been very difficult to get trustees to commit to their dues this year. I would be shocked to see anyone step up with an increase. Perhaps they need add new trustees.

Finally, traveling exhibitions are getting more difficult to fund as well. I've witnessed major staff time being spent (two to three years of planning) for traveling exhibitions only to fall apart due to this economy.