By Kathleen McLaughlin, The IBJ
kmclaughlin@ibj.com
The Indianapolis Museum of Art said today it is eliminating 27 positions, or 9 percent of its regular work force.
"The scope is fairly broad," IMA spokeswoman Katie Zarich said. "Nearly every department has been affected."
The layoffs will affect 15 full-time staff members and six part-time staff members. Another six positions will go unfilled. Before the cuts, the museum had 288 employees.
In addition, an unspecified number of seasonal grounds-maintenance workers will not have jobs this summer. Zarich said the grounds crew equates to another six full-time staff positions.
The layoffs announced today are just the latest round of cost-cutting among local not-for-profit arts organizations that are facing huge losses in their endowments and a drop in donations.
The IMA, which saw its endowment drop 27 percent to $278.5 million from 2007 to 2008, trimmed $1.7 million from its budget in December. At that point, the cost-cutting involved a pay freeze and delaying the opening of its Art and Nature Park.
The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra have also laid off personnel.