MESSAGE
| DATE | 2020-08-22 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] The very real death of NYC culture
|
wsj.com
New York City Museums Ready to Reopen, But Some See Unclear Future
Charles Passy
7-9 minutes
A native New Yorker who has been going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
since childhood, Charles Baum is eager to see the institution reopen its
doors in coming days after a five-month shutdown because of the
coronavirus pandemic.
“I can’t wait to get back,” said Mr. Baum, a 70-year-old resident of
Manhattan’s Upper West Side who is also a frequent visitor of the Museum
of Modern Art, or MoMA, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among
other New York City institutions.
But the question for the Met and museums throughout the five boroughs is
whether loyal patrons like Mr. Baum will be enough to sustain them, at
least in the coming months.
Actually, these institutions, some of them bedrocks of the arts scene
that defines the city, are facing several difficult questions. Even as
they get ready to greet visitors again—New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomoapproved their reopening starting this coming Monday at 25%
capacity—they are preparing to make do with fewer attendees in the short
and potentially long term. They also are grappling with the loss of a
significant chunk of income over the shutdown period.
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City was empty on
Memorial Day.
Photo: Lev Radin/Zuma Press
The result is that museums are looking at slashing their budgets—by
millions of dollars, in the case of some larger ones, according to
officials with the institutions. That means cutting staff and trimming
exhibition schedules, in many instances.
The situation could eventually result in some museums permanently
shutting their doors, though few in the cultural world expect such
august institutions as the Met, MoMA or the Whitney to do so.
Still, in a recent survey conducted by the American Alliance of Museums,
a support organization for the industry, one-third of museum directors
around the country said they faced significant risk that their
institutions wouldn’t survive by the fall of 2021 without some financial
relief.
The Met, with a $320 million annual budget before the pandemic, is
projecting a $150 million loss because of the pandemic and has cut its
staff, which once numbered around 2,000, by roughly 20%, museum
officials said. The future exhibition schedule will be reduced to 30
shows a year from about 40, though officials said quality wouldn’t
suffer and visitors won’t perceive a difference overall in what the
museum is presenting.
Visitors to the American Museum of Natural History at the gorilla
diorama, before the shutdown in March.
Photo: Gail Mooney/Corbis/VCG
The Met can rely on an approximately $3 billion-plus endowment to
sustain itself, plus the continued support of a large, well-heeled group
of donors. The organization was able to raise $25 million in emergency
funds from its trustees during the pandemic.
“The Met’s existence is not being challenged,” said Max Hollein,
director of the museum. “It’s a very resilient institution.”
For smaller museums, though, there is often no significant financial
cushion. The nautical-themed South Street Seaport Museum, with a $4.5
million pre-pandemic budget, estimates its pandemic-related loss will
likely exceed $2 million. President and Chief Executive Jonathan
Boulware said the museum has an endowment of only $1.7 million and no
cash reserve to absorb the financial hit.
The museum hasn’t been able to fully reopen its main exhibition space in
the years since the building sustained major damage during Superstorm
Sandy in 2012. Mr. Boulware said he had hoped 2020 would be the year it
would finally fully open for limited tours, but that now seems impossible.
“This is the most severe threat this museum has ever faced. And for this
museum that’s really saying something,” Mr. Boulware said.
In many places around the world, holiday travel is permitted again. So
how do you travel safely if you want to go on vacation this summer?
WSJ’s George Downs takes a weekend trip to find out. Photo composite:
George Downs
The path forward for museums, big or small, is clouded by the likelihood
that attendance, a significant revenue driver, may be a small fraction
of what it once was for the foreseeable future.
Even if the 25% cap is eventually increased, it may not matter much in
the short term. Many museums in the city rely heavily on tourism—at the
Met, tourists have made up 70% of the roughly 7 million annual visitors
it has attracted in recent years. But the pandemic has upended the
travel industry, and expectations are that it could take at least a year
or two for sightseers to return to New York in sizable numbers. Last
year, the city welcomed a record 66.6 million visitors, according to NYC
& Company, the city’s official tourism organization.
If there is a silver lining to the current picture, it is that the
pandemic has prompted many museums to strengthen online offerings and
engage visitors in a different way.
Take the case of Poster House, a museum devoted to posters that opened
in Chelsea last year.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
What New York City museum are you most eager to visit when museums
reopen their doors? Join the conversation below.
While Poster House Museum Director Julia Knight said the pandemic
arrived just as the institution was establishing a foothold in the city,
she was glad to introduce a number of innovative virtual programs this
summer. One example: an event showcasing posters from the Art Deco
period and encouraging online attendees to enjoy a cocktail from the
same era, with recipes provided, while they were viewing from home.
Ms. Knight said such programs have resulted in poster lovers signing up
for memberships, even if they live well beyond New York.
“We have gotten people to join from Texas,” she said.
Write to Charles Passy at cpassy-at-wsj.com
--
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