Art Knowledge News

 

Indianapolis Museum of Art Cuts Budget and Staffers will Face Furloughs

 Print E-mail
Written by Katie Zarich   
Sunday, 18 October 2009 03:01

Indianapolis Museum of Art and Robert Indiana's "LOVE"

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (AP) - The nearly 300 staff members at the Indianapolis Museum of Art will have to take an unpaid week off during the coming months in the latest cutback for the museum. Spokeswoman Katie Zarich say the furloughs, along with less spending on contractors, advertising and travel, are needed as the museum makes a 5.5 percent cut from this year's $25.5 million budget. The museum reduced its staff by about 10 percent in February and froze employee salaries through 2010.

Zarich says the museum doesn't anticipate changes to the programming it offers its 500,000 annual visitors and that its new 100-acre art and nature park is still scheduled to open in June.

IMA Budget Reduction Statement
In order to operate with a balanced budget, maintain a free admission policy, and to preserve jobs at the Museum, the Indianapolis Museum of Art has announced a series of budget cuts totaling approximately $1.4 million. These cost-saving measures follow a series of budget cuts made earlier in 2009, which included a 10% reduction in personnel. For its current fiscal year, which started July 1, 2009, the IMA projects a revised operating budget of $24.1 million. The most recent changes were necessary due to revisions in revenue forecasts.

Among the changes are reductions in contracted work, advertising and travel. No layoffs are planned, but all IMA staff will be required to take a one-week furlough. A salary freeze enacted earlier in 2009 will continue through 2010.  The reductions were made with the goal of maintaining the best possible visitor experience.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art has embarked on a systematic evaluation of its collection since 2007 to identify candidates for deaccessioning (e.g. sale, transfer, or exchange). All objects proposed for deaccessioning are subject to the criteria and procedures outlined in the IMA's Deaccession Policy. Since 2007, the furniture, antiquities, textiles, American painting, European painting and contemporary collections have been reviewed and assessed. The decorative arts, Asian art and African collections are currently under review with additional works proposed for deaccessioning to be presented for approval at the May and December 2009 Collections Committee and Board of Governors meetings

Visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art at : http://www.imamuseum.org/

Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~