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Area Arts Institutions Ponder Their Future

The Cleveland Museum of Art's Rodin sculpture "The Thinker"
The Cleveland Museum of Art's Rodin sculpture "The Thinker"

MUSIC: DJ Rekha hip-hop UP & UNDER

The syncopated stylings of DJ Rekha will be part of the musical soundtrack for tomorrow's Summer Solstice party being thrown by the Cleveland Museum of Art in celebration of the new East Wing --- a striking combination of glass and striped stone designed by internationally famed architect Rafael Vinoly. But, for museum director Timothy Rub, the high energy festivities come at a time of sobering questions.

TIMOTHY RUB: One is: how you deal with an economy that has seen endowments lose value, has discouraged donors from being as generous as they were in the past, because they simply don't have the resources they once had to support you on a regular basis.

The Cleveland museum has traditionally been Northeast Ohio's 800-pound gorilla in terms of financial resources, because of a hefty endowment --- a sizable pool of money that's kept in the bank so that the interest can be tapped for operating expenses and buying new works of art. But, the recession has taken its toll.

TIMOTHY RUB: Our endowment peaked at about 830 million dollars, just about two years ago. It is now down to about 550 million dollars.

MITCHELL KAHAN: Endowment is really the big issue for established arts institutions. They've taken an enormous hit.

Akron Art Museum director Mitchell Kahan says a 20% drop in his endowment was bad enough, but he's also facing increased operating costs because of a high profile renovation, two years ago.

MITCHELL KAHAN: Our budget doubled six months before the recession started in December 2007 (laughs at the irony).

As a result, the Akron museum has had to cut staff, reduce operating hours, and cut back on planned exhibits.

MITCHELL KAHAN: The reality is, you can't run an institution on less money and deliver the same product. And I know a lot of people are trying to say, "Oh, we're just going to make our cuts behind the scenes and the public won't notice", but that's really not possible.

As head of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, Thomas Schorgl tracks the economic impact of Northeast Ohio's Arts and Cultural community. Lately though, he's been keeping an eye on how the economy has been impacting area artists and cultural institutions.

THOMAS SCHORGL: Corporate support is down. It's dropped over the past nine months anywhere from ten to forty percent.

Schorgl says foundation support is down by about ten percent as well, and is likely to drop more, next year. That's forced a number of local cultural organizations to rethink their budgets. Plans for expansion and renovations at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Contemporary Art have all been put on hold. Ultimately though, these construction delays may not be all that critical. As Thomas Schorgl says, a new building is after all largely… a shell.

TOM SCHORGL: Now, you want to make sure it's an attractive shell, in terms of architecture, but it's the material that's inside and it's the programs that are designed that ultimately attract the consumer.

To that end, the Akron Art Museum is planning a special exhibit for next year. One that is particularly fitting for the times we live in, in that it examines the decline of Detroit. It will include a public discussion about the ways rust belt cities are adapting to new economic realities. For now though, the museum is featuring what director Mitchell Kahan calls an "anti-recession, happy show" --- the photography of William Wegman, which features dogs in amusing poses.

[SNEAK party music BACK UP]

And those attending the party celebrating the Cleveland Museum of Art's new East Wing tomorrow night will find that wing filled with some of the museum's most popular paintings --- some artistic "comfort food" in a shiny new building to provide at least a little distraction from the economic storm clouds outside. And the Cleveland Museum can breath a sign of relief. Nearly all of the $350-million needed for its renovation has already been raised.

David C. Barnett was a senior arts & culture reporter for Ideastream Public Media. He retired in October 2022.