The Brooklyn Museum, amid financial turmoil and inflationary pressures, is set to implement significant workforce reductions and pare down its exhibition schedule. In a letter to staff members, Museum Director Anne Pasternak, revealed plans to layoff roughly 10-13% of the museum's employees, equating to more than 40 staff members. This scramble for fiscal sustainability is a result of a looming $10 million deficit projected by the end of June, as The New York Times detailed. Coupled with the layoffs, the museum's senior leadership is also taking a hair-cut, with salary decreases ranging from 10 to 20%.
As reported by ABC 7 New York, the economic woes faced by the cultural institution have spiraled to the point where the Brooklyn Museum is also slashing its annual exhibitions, zipping down from an average of 12 to just nine. To add insult to injury, weeknight programming that draws thin crowds or shaky financial support will get the axe, while weekend events see a hike. The museum's cost-cutting measures invade nearly every facet of its operations, as expenses continue to gallop ahead of revenues.
Anxieties among unionized staff have been notably high, following lavish blowouts and special events marking the museum’s bicentennial. Local 1502, representing the museum's crew, has expressed outrage, with president Wilson Souffrant stating, "We are dismayed that the museum would choose to balance the budget on the backs of union members," according to a conversation with The New York Times. The union made its move sending a cease-and-desist letter, with the hope to curtail the layoffs of employees it stands for without enough negotiation buffer.
Despite the fiscal fiasco and cost-trimming blueprint, the museum maintains its path toward renovating the Arts of Africa collection by 2026. In her correspondence, Pasternak stressed that while the institution has seen its endowment swell and grown its board, skyrocketed expenses within the past decade are biting hard into the budget. Compensation, making up roughly 70% of the museum's operational spend, is the heaviest hitter. In her words to ABC 7 New York, "Inflation has dramatically impacted our operating budget, adding millions of dollars to everyday costs and outpacing funding."
The staff reductions mark the museum's first significant employment cuts since 2020, when the pandemic's onset saw nearly 30 workers let go.
