(June 21, 2009) -- The LB Museum of Art Foundation terminated the last Director and paid off all outstanding operating debts that totaled over $500,000.
They have hired a new Director who is doing everything in his power to maximize all profit making venues at the Museum including the posibility of an outside venue operator.
To consider offering the entire Museum to some outside operator or operating the Museum by City staff is lacking in fiscal and cultural vision.
The current Foundation raises over $2.5 million each year to operate the Museum. The City provides 1/5th of this amount. In this difficult financial climate this is a current success story.
The creation of the private, non-profit Foundation in 1985 enabled the Museum to attract both new donors of art and monies to increase the offerings of the Museum to the people of the greater Long Beach area.
This is the time for the City and the Long Beach Museum of Art Foundation to work together to come to some kind of equitable resolution of the Capital Campaign Dept.
Do not destroy the group that works so hard to make the Museum one of the cultural jewels of the City of Long Beach.
Linda McCullough
Past Foundation President
Past Capital Campaign Chair
