A growing number of museums around the country have raised admission fees and cut staff to try to weather the financial setbacks they have faced since the pandemic began.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum announced that it had laid off 10 employees in response to a challenging economic moment in the art world.
It was the latest jolt within the museum industry, where a number of institutions across the country have cut staff and increased ticket prices to new heights. When the Guggenheim raised the price for adult admissions to $30 from $25 over the summer, it cited a lack of visitors and declining membership at a moment when expenses have skyrocketed because of inflation, increased labor costs and insurance, as well as rising shipping fees.
The layoffs included two deputy directors, but also some longtime rank-and-file employees from the departments of visitor services and communications. The 10 jobs that were cut amounted to 2.5 percent of all employees.
“Like many institutions, rising costs and inflation have strained our budget,” Sara Fox, a museum spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Over the past months, we have taken proactive steps to reduce our deficit by raising admission fees and cutting costs wherever feasible. Regrettably, the museum will not have the ability to support our previous number of staff.”
According to Maida Rosenstein, director of organizing for Local 2110, a chapter of the United Auto Workers that represents some Guggenheim workers and those at several other museums in the city, the layoffs came as a surprise.
“It was a real slap in the face to workers who have been there for many years,” said Rosenstein, who said two people in her unit were affected, adding that the union was seeking a meeting with management about the layoffs.
The Guggenheim union, which represents nearly 150 curators, conservators and other employees, signed its first contract with the museum in August after more than two years of bargaining.
In recent days, several other museums have slashed jobs, citing a difficult financial picture. In November, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art eliminated 20 staff positions, citing a 35 percent drop in attendance from 2019.
A month earlier, the Dallas Museum of Art also cut 20 employees and said it would no longer be open to the public on Tuesdays to save money.
The layoff at the Guggenheim came just after its trustees had announced Mariët Westermann had been tapped as its next director. She had been touted for her connections with Abu Dhabi, where she is vice chancellor of New York University’s campus and where the museum is expected to open a new location in 2026. That project has been subject to many delays, in part because of protests over the plight of migrant workers employed on the project. She begins her new role in June.
For now, the museum said that layoffs will better position the museum to face the future.
“These colleagues have shown dedication and commitment to the museum and we thank them for their hard work,” Fox, the museum spokeswoman, said. “These moves will better position the Guggenheim to be a future-ready, sustainable museum while continuing to uphold our mission.”
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