Category: visual

“The conspicuous consumption that has fuelled the art market is umbilically linked to the conspicuous philanthropy that has fuelled much of the growth in contemporary art museums throughout the US, the Middle East, South East Asia and Europe. These institutions have been significant beneficiaries of the growing and, to many, morally indefensible disparities of wealth throughout the world. It has left them heavily reliant on, and overly attuned and attentive to, a narrow constituency whose long-term appetite or capacity for support is highly questionable.”

The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver is eliminating four of its 20 full-time positions and trimming benefits as a hedge against potential drops in revenue as the economy worsens.

Museums in New York and Philadelphia are cutting jobs, slashing salaries and closing stores because their endowments have been pounded by declines in donations, government aid and investment returns.

“As the 19th anniversary of the Gardner Museum heist approaches, the FBI, the US attorney, and museum officials say they are still chasing down tips and leads but do not believe that James Bulger, a longtime FBI informant who is charged with 19 murders and is one of the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted, ever got his hands on the artwork.”

Actually, it’s not so easy to find out. “So, here’s theory No1: museum numbers are up, because, quite suddenly, museums aren’t much like museums…”

The Toronto museum “has confirmed it has named 61 full-time employees for possible layoff in order to cut costs. Another 47 temporary positions are also being considered for elimination.”

“When it opened in 2004, the Orange Lounge was touted as the first museum space on the West Coast devoted exclusively to digital and video art, as well as the only venue of its kind located in a major retail complex.”

The MMA revealed “that it would lay off more than a quarter of its merchandising staff, eliminating 74 jobs in addition to 53 already cut over the last year. It also warned that the worsening economy would most likely force it to shrink its overall work force by 10 percent – as many as 250 full- and part-time jobs in all – before the summer, including some in curatorial and other pivotal departments.”

“The Las Vegas Art Museum closed indefinitely last month because it was broke. After 59 years, there was no endowment, no public funding and little community involvement. The abrupt closure sparked heartache and anger among longtime supporters. But the fact that there are only about 1,000 museum members and little attendance in a region of 2 million residents illustrates the disconnect between the Las Vegas Art Museum and the community.”

“Come May 23, the cost of admission to the Art Institute of Chicago will jump by 50 percent–$18 instead of $12–after the Chicago Park District Board unanimously approved the museum’s request for the steep increase Wednesday. … The increase comes less than three years after the museum instituted mandatory admissions fees, in June 2006.”