The COURIER put out an article in today's paper examining the financial problems that led to the closure of the Claremont Museum of Art. The article also touched on some plans for the museum's future.
Last night I received a call from Janet Myhre, a CMA board member who was instrumental in finding donors from the museum. By the time we spoke, it was well past deadline and her comments couldn't be included in the article.
She spoke about the museum's major donor, a Los Angeles resident who's been the largest financial backer of the museum. Today's article notes that the donor "cut off her steady stream of funding to the museum, sending museum officials scrambling to find other funding sources."
The statement may be somewhat misleading, according to Myhre. The donor, who wants to remain anonymous, has given over one million dollars to support the museum over the last 3 years. She has also pledged $10 million in assets to the museum as a deferred gift upon her death.
The donor did not abruptly stop giving but offered to match funds raised by the museum in order to see that it was somewhat financially stable. Myhre was critical of those who tried to place blame the donor for the museum's failure as she's seen some negative comments from former staff or board members in newspaper articles.
"How can you blame a donor who'd already given so much and been so generous to the museum?" Myhre said.
In any case, the CMA is not the only museum with financial hardships. The Fresno Metropolitan Museum announced this week it was closing after 26 years in operation.
According to this article from KMPH, the museum had mounting debts, a declining endowment and was heavily subsidized by the city of Fresno.
Showing posts with label Claremont Museum of Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Claremont Museum of Art. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Claremont Museum of Art will close at year's end
Sad news from the Claremont Museum of Art. The Board of Directors last night voted to discontinue operation of the museum and place the permanent collection in a secure storage facility.
In October, the Claremont Museum of Art nearly shut down but was able to secure roughly $30,000 from the city to stay open throughout 2009. Museum officials argued to the city council that the extra time will give them a chance to secure more donations so it could remain open. They were hoping to raise about $213,000 for operating expenses for 2010.
Museum volunteers had a telephone campaign and were able to secure $26,255 in pledges. But the money would only keep the museum open for about 6 weeks.
"Without any immediate prospects for additional donations, we don't see any way to continue operation in The Packing House location. Therefore we will not collect the pledges," according to a Museum news release.
Museum officials say they will continue to work on rejuvenating the museum within the next few years "as the economy improves." Your last chance to visit the museum will be on December 26 and 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
I will have more details to follow in an upcoming edition of the COURIER.
In October, the Claremont Museum of Art nearly shut down but was able to secure roughly $30,000 from the city to stay open throughout 2009. Museum officials argued to the city council that the extra time will give them a chance to secure more donations so it could remain open. They were hoping to raise about $213,000 for operating expenses for 2010.
Museum volunteers had a telephone campaign and were able to secure $26,255 in pledges. But the money would only keep the museum open for about 6 weeks.
"Without any immediate prospects for additional donations, we don't see any way to continue operation in The Packing House location. Therefore we will not collect the pledges," according to a Museum news release.
Museum officials say they will continue to work on rejuvenating the museum within the next few years "as the economy improves." Your last chance to visit the museum will be on December 26 and 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
I will have more details to follow in an upcoming edition of the COURIER.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Museum gets bailout from the city
The Claremont Museum of Art will live to see another day thanks to a $18,879 donation from the city. Actually about 50 mores days. The money will keep the Museum open throughout the end of the year. It will also buy museum officials some time to get more funding to keep the museum going beyond 2009.
Despite a unanimous vote from the city council at last night's meeting, council members were skeptical about handing over a large chunk of money to a non-profit organization at a time when the city has cut about 25 percent of its budget and laid off dozens of staff members.
Council member Peter Yao was frustrated with the idea of giving money to the museum without any assurance that they can sustain themselves past beyond the end of the year.
"We have a lot of needs within the city [like non-profits and struggling businesses]," Councilmember Peter Yao said. "It's really tough to say 'I'm going to help this one but I'm not going to help this one.' ... We're not a federal reserve bank. We can't help all the people out there as much as we'd like to help."
Museum board members promised to do all they can in the next few weeks to secure more donations. Fifty days isn't a lot of time to generate the kind of money they will need to maintain operations. Only time will tell if they can actually pull it off. And the clock is ticking.
Despite a unanimous vote from the city council at last night's meeting, council members were skeptical about handing over a large chunk of money to a non-profit organization at a time when the city has cut about 25 percent of its budget and laid off dozens of staff members.
Council member Peter Yao was frustrated with the idea of giving money to the museum without any assurance that they can sustain themselves past beyond the end of the year.
"We have a lot of needs within the city [like non-profits and struggling businesses]," Councilmember Peter Yao said. "It's really tough to say 'I'm going to help this one but I'm not going to help this one.' ... We're not a federal reserve bank. We can't help all the people out there as much as we'd like to help."
Museum board members promised to do all they can in the next few weeks to secure more donations. Fifty days isn't a lot of time to generate the kind of money they will need to maintain operations. Only time will tell if they can actually pull it off. And the clock is ticking.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Claremont Museum of Art on the verge of collapse
The big news in Claremont recently involves the future of the Claremont Museum of Art. It will be a very sad day for the community if the museum is forced to close down. With great education programs, community workshops and rotating exhibitions, the museum has been a real asset to Claremont.
The Claremont Museum of Art has only been open for 2.5 years. That's part of the reason they've had difficulty in getting funding lately. Museum officials said that art grants are often given to more established institutions that have been around for at least 3 to 5 years.
The Museum may only be open for a few more weeks. Staff has been laid off and the Museum store is closed. I'll be following up with another story soon to answer some questions that haven't been addressed.
The Claremont Museum of Art has only been open for 2.5 years. That's part of the reason they've had difficulty in getting funding lately. Museum officials said that art grants are often given to more established institutions that have been around for at least 3 to 5 years.
The Museum may only be open for a few more weeks. Staff has been laid off and the Museum store is closed. I'll be following up with another story soon to answer some questions that haven't been addressed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
