11/12/2001

According to the on-line magazine “The Nando Times” (December, 2nd), the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York has been forced it to cut staff and exhibitions to save about $ 1,000,000 (€ 1,120,800) due to a dramatic post-Sept. 11 drop-off in tourists. The 70-year-old facility will lay off 14 workers from its 210-person staff and re-schedule its exhibition program for 2002. Last month, the Guggenheim Museum announced it was also cutting exhibitions and about 20 percent of its staff, to save money. In the weeks after the attacks, attendance at the Whitney was about 9,000 per week, down from last year's average of 12,500. In recent weeks, attendance was increasing but paid admissions were down. Whitney director Maxwell Anderson commented that the increase in visitors was likely to be the result of an influx of museum members, students and other guests eligible for a discount from the usual $ 10 (€ 11) admission. The 40 percent drop in paid admissions was largely due to a drop in tourists, he said. (James Goulder)