Ok I didn’t know Art Directors were paid that much!

Old article but still an eye-opener.

I read about how some museums are closing down while others are thriving.

From the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, cost-cutting measures have become the norm.

Smaller museums, such as Iowa’s National Motorcycle Museum and Virginia’s AAF Tank Museum, are even closing their doors permanently, casualties of financial hardships.

Labor disputes are also casting shadows over the cultural landscape.

The Philadelphia Orchestra, for instance, is facing labor issues that threaten its harmony, while the New Jersey Symphony has been trimming staff and programming.

Doesn’t matter if you aren’t familiar with those museums in particular.

The point is, quite a few long-staying museums around the world are suffering badly and closing down.

Of course, Covid didn’t help but made it so much worser.

Most of the others only survive because they are government funded.

On the other hand, the bigger boys seem to be sailing through these challenging times relatively unscathed.

MoMA, the Smithsonian, the Met and others are apparently doing fine.

Legacy and long-standing history matters.

Intriguingly, while many arts organizations have faced inflation and a post-pandemic slump in visitors, the prominent ones appear to be less immediately threatened.

Executives at some of the most influential arts organizations in America are earning astronomical salaries.

It’s not just the hefty paychecks; many also enjoy perks that defy the imagination.

Free luxury housing, first-class travel, and allowances for social clubs, as long as business is involved, and even rent-free accommodation in some of the hottest spots in town worth millions.

Deferred compensation and other benefits can push their annual earnings well past the million-dollar mark.

Museum of Modern Art Director Glenn Lowry earned a staggering $2.3 million in salary, bonus, and benefits.

“Which is about 48 times the salary of an education assistant at the museum”.

The juxtaposition of top executives’ salaries and the concerns of rank-and-file employees is stark.

Wait till you add in his bonuses.

This substantial figure is justified by MoMA’s balanced budgets, growing attendance, and impressive fundraising efforts.

Can you believe its a non-profit?

So what exactly does an Art Director like Glenn do?

“Art directors are responsible for overseeing the care of valuable art pieces within a collection. This role also requires managing staff to ensure the proper care for different pieces of art, as well as ensuring strict guidelines exist that help determine how each piece of art is handled.”

I would assume networking, hobnobbing with the social elites, getting them to donate and buy art pieces are also part of the job responsibilities.

Art is a highly contentious and subjective area of interest.

If this continues, pretty much all the smaller museums will shutter and all that is left would be the big boys.

-

Are art museums dying?

-

#Art #Museums #Culture #IncomeInequality #ArtWorld #COVID19 #MuseumSalaries #IndebtedCulturalWorkers #MoMA #MetropolitanOpera #Disparity #ExecutiveCompensation #ArtAndSociety #ArtsInstitutions

Ok I didn’t know Art Directors were paid that much!

Old article but still an eye-opener.

I read about how some museums are closing down while others are thriving.

From the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, cost-cutting measures have become the norm.

Smaller museums, such as Iowa’s National Motorcycle Museum and Virginia’s AAF Tank Museum, are even closing their doors permanently, casualties of financial hardships.

Labor disputes are also casting shadows over the cultural landscape.

The Philadelphia Orchestra, for instance, is facing labor issues that threaten its harmony, while the New Jersey Symphony has been trimming staff and programming.

Doesn’t matter if you aren’t familiar with those museums in particular.

The point is, quite a few long-staying museums around the world are suffering badly and closing down.

Of course, Covid didn’t help but made it so much worser.

Most of the others only survive because they are government funded.

On the other hand, the bigger boys seem to be sailing through these challenging times relatively unscathed.

MoMA, the Smithsonian, the Met and others are apparently doing fine.

Legacy and long-standing history matters.

Intriguingly, while many arts organizations have faced inflation and a post-pandemic slump in visitors, the prominent ones appear to be less immediately threatened.

Executives at some of the most influential arts organizations in America are earning astronomical salaries.

It’s not just the hefty paychecks; many also enjoy perks that defy the imagination.

Free luxury housing, first-class travel, and allowances for social clubs, as long as business is involved, and even rent-free accommodation in some of the hottest spots in town worth millions.

Deferred compensation and other benefits can push their annual earnings well past the million-dollar mark.

Museum of Modern Art Director Glenn Lowry earned a staggering $2.3 million in salary, bonus, and benefits.

“Which is about 48 times the salary of an education assistant at the museum”.

The juxtaposition of top executives’ salaries and the concerns of rank-and-file employees is stark.

Wait till you add in his bonuses.

This substantial figure is justified by MoMA’s balanced budgets, growing attendance, and impressive fundraising efforts.

Can you believe its a non-profit?

So what exactly does an Art Director like Glenn do?

“Art directors are responsible for overseeing the care of valuable art pieces within a collection. This role also requires managing staff to ensure the proper care for different pieces of art, as well as ensuring strict guidelines exist that help determine how each piece of art is handled.”

I would assume networking, hobnobbing with the social elites, getting them to donate and buy art pieces are also part of the job responsibilities.

Art is a highly contentious and subjective area of interest.

If this continues, pretty much all the smaller museums will shutter and all that is left would be the big boys.

-

Are art museums dying?

-

#Art #Museums #Culture #IncomeInequality #ArtWorld #COVID19 #MuseumSalaries #IndebtedCulturalWorkers #MoMA #MetropolitanOpera #Disparity #ExecutiveCompensation #ArtAndSociety #ArtsInstitutions