SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM ANNOUNCES CUTS

In response to the economic downturn, the Saint Louis Art Museum announced Wednesday several cost-cutting measures, including potential layoffs, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The cuts are intended to save at least $1.5 million over the 2008 and 2009 fiscal years. The museum plans to cut back on travel and printed materials, leave unfilled positions vacant, and offer voluntary-retirement packages to nineteen staff members eligible for them.

The museum now has 179 employees. Regarding layoffs, museum director Brent Benjamin said he could not give a specific number because it was dependent on how much was saved with voluntary retirements. Benjamin said that the museum was not freezing hiring and that certain positions, such as that of the curator of prints, drawings, and photographs, would be filled. Benjamin also said that salaries would not be cut. But he said he had passed up a raise, keeping his salary at its 2007 level.

The museum expects to get less money from the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District, sharply reduced funding from the museum’s $63.6 million endowment, and lower levels of annual giving. The museum said its endowment lost nearly 30 percent of its value in the last six months. In a letter to Saint Louis arts supporters, Benjamin said the museum was in a stronger position than many other institutions across the country. He called the cuts regrettable but said, “Our job is to ensure that the museum remains strong and stable.”