Detroit (WWJ) -- The worldwide economic slowdown is affecting the Detroit Institute of Arts. The art museum Monday announced it will cut six million dollars from its 34-million dollar budget by eliminating 56 full-time jobs and seven part-time jobs and reducing programs.
A statement from the DIA says the job cuts represent about 20 percent of the art museum's staff.
DIA Director Graham Beal says the deepening global economic slump has made it harder for the museum to close its annual gap between operating expenses and revenue.
“It has been extremely painful to work through these changes, which ultimately affect so many of our dedicated colleagues,” said Beal in a statement. “The DIA has experienced extraordinary fundraising success in the past, but we have been unable to permanently close an annual gap between operating expenses and revenues. This is the first critical step in addressing an issue that has plagued the museum for many decades."
Beal says that the DIA is fundamentally restructuring every department to reduce costs, but some programs will be maintained.
“Losing about 20% of our staff has meant a reduction in some public programs, but we will maintain a strong exhibition schedule and our Friday night and weekend programs will be maintained with few changes,” Beal said in the statement.
The museum has reduced the number of programs rather than eliminating them. For example, exhibitions in Prints, Drawings and Photography will follow a new schedule of six exhibitions every 24 months rather than 12, and all exhibitions will feature works from the DIA collection.
The museum is continuing to explore a number of other ways to reduce expenses and increase revenues, and more announcements are expected in the coming months.
The museum closed for six months before reopening at the end of 2007 following a major expansion and renovation that cost $158 million and took six years to complete. More than 615,000 people went to the DIA afterward.
Click here for more from the DIA.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
