Museum Directors Lead By Example in Budget Cuts

Last summer U.S. museums joined corporate America in adjusting budgets to reflect significant decreases in cash flow. The following statistics are certainly interesting when noting that the combination of perks and salaries indicates that the museum community feels the need to be competitive in their compensation packages. Indeed in this climate if a director passes the scrutiny as both a manger and an art connoisseur, they become a very desirable and rare commodity.

"Art Institute of Chicago Director James Cuno took a 10% pay cut. All salaries are frozen and employees must take one week unpaid leave by the end of March 2010.
Baltimore Museum of Art Director Doreen Bolger took a 10% pay cut and six deputy directors 5% cuts. Around 80 staff earning $30,000 or more take two weeks unpaid leave.
Contemporary Art Museum, St Louis Director Paul Ha took a 10% salary cut from $170,000 to $153,000, beginning in January and continuing through 2010. Denver Art Museum Employees had three unpaid days in the fiscal year that ended 30 September, will have no cost-of-living or merit increases for 2010, and three traditionally paid holidays are unpaid days off.
Detroit Institute of Arts Director Graham Beal took an 8% cut and an 18% bonus cut. Others had cuts ranging from 2% to 7% that affected 112 of 196 full-time employees. Pension benefits were modified. Dia Art Foundation, New York Senior staff had a 4% salary reduction.
Field Museum, Chicago President and chief executive John McCarter Jr voluntarily took a 20% cut in salary for calendar year 2009. Another 50 employees earning $75,000 or more had cuts of 3% to 5%.

J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles President and chief executive James Wood had his 2008 base salary of $728,000 reduced to $684,320 (calendar year 2008: total compensation was $1.11m). Getty Museum director Michael Brand’s salary of $545,828 was reduced to $513,079 plus benefits (2008 compensation was $929,075), and chief investment officer James Williams’ salary of $851,760 was reduced to $800,654 (2008 compensation was $1.14m) and he will not be eligible for a bonus. Though senior staff had salary cuts of 2% to 6%, the pay and benefits of other employees was not reduced.

High Museum of Art, Atlanta Director Michael Shapiro took a 7% pay cut, six senior managers had 6% cuts, and all other employees saw pay reduced 5% from February to May 2009. Salaries were reinstated 1 June but employees must take 13 days unpaid leave in fiscal year 2010.
Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, Pasadena President Steven Koblik, five directors and the heads of communications, advancement, operations and finance had 10% reductions in compensation, with all other employees taking cuts of 7% to 3.5% based on salary.
Indianapolis Museum of Art Director Maxwell Anderson and ten senior staff made voluntary contributions of 3% of their salaries, and there is a total salary freeze.

Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston Pension contributions were reduced from 5% to 3%.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Director Anne Hawley and nine other senior staff had their salaries reduced 5%, end-of-year bonuses were eliminated and an all-staff salary freeze instituted. Los Angeles County Museum of Art Director Michael Govan’s salary remains $741,000 plus benefits, the same as last year, but he and president Melody Kanschat declined their bonuses. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, modest decrease in medical benefits. Miami Art Museum Senior management took a 5% reduction in salary, effective April 2009, and all full-time staff take a mandatory one-week furlough.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts Director Kaywin Feldman’s compensation was cut 10% from $415,205 to $375,830 and five division heads had 3% salary reductions.
Morgan Library, New York Staff were required to take 10 days unpaid time off in the summer, and a hiring and salary freeze remain in effect.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles Senior staff took a salary cut of at least 5%, other employees agreed to cut pay or hours, and employee benefits were cut.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Director Malcolm Rogers, four deputy directors and the dean of the School of the MFA took a 5% salary cut.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Director Peter Marzio voluntarily took a 4% cut in salary and a reduction of his 2009 bonus by 32% from the previous year. Salaries of $52,000 and more were reduced by 4%, and less than $52,000 by 2%, effective 1 February.
Museum of Modern Art, New York Director Glenn Lowry had a 15% cut in salary and benefits in fiscal year 2009—his total compensation was $1.32m ($674,582 salary, $159,000 bonus, $152,320 benefits, and $336,000 for onsite housing). The salary portion of his pay was further reduced 10% for 2010. Others earning more than $150,000 had reductions of 2% to 10% and increases in their contributions to health insurance.

National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa 34 directors and managers will take off five days without pay, and 16 employees voluntarily agreed to take between two and five days off without pay in the fiscal year begun 1 April.

New York Historical Society All employees were given four days unpaid leave beginning in January and pension contributions for non-union employees (72% of the staff) were reduced from 7.5% to 3%.

Noguchi Museum, New York Salaries were frozen and the health-care plan modified to trim around 30% of its cost.

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh Director Larry Wheeler did not receive an annual bonus last year or this year, a loss of 26% of his normal compensation. Senior staff had no raises, lost portions of retirement and health benefits, and will be subject to further reductions of 2.5% to 5% if there is a shortfall. The earned-income workforce was cut 25% and hours were reduced.
Philadelphia Art Museum Senior staff took a voluntary salary cut of between 5% and 10% for the most senior. Employee contributions to health insurance were increased and museum contributions to retirement plans reduced.

Salvador Dali Museum, Florida Salaries were frozen and employee contributions to healthcare increased. Seattle Art Museum Salaried employees took five days of unpaid leave (around 2% of their salaries) in 2009, and 11 senior staff had additional 3% cuts for fiscal year 2010.
Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis Director Olga Viso gave up 6% of her salary and benefits last year and 7% this year. All staff had a five-day furlough in 2009 and there is a salary and wage freeze for 2010.

Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Director Gary Vikan will take 20 days unpaid leave, two deputy directors 10 days, and six division directors five days. " The Art Newspaper