Budget cuts hurting LSU Museum of Art

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By Morgan Mitchener

Recent budget cuts at LSU have caused quite a disturbance for many departments around campus, and as a result, students and faculty alike are experiencing dramatic cutbacks.

But, specifically the LSU Museum of Art has had to deal with their 20 percent slash in funds by eliminating an upcoming exhibit by Gabriel Laderman: Unconventional Realist.

Laderman was the first artist to participate in the Visiting Artist's Program in the LSU College of Art and Design, yet will not showcase because of the necessary belt-buckling that is required by the Museum of Art.

Laderman's exhibit was planned to be held to honor Laderman and the importance of the LSU art program. The limits placed on the MOA forces decisions like terminating a show to keep their new budget plan and to maximize their resources.

Art exhibits are by no standards cheap and require a lot of support from the University, students and community to maintain existence. Putting on an exhibit can cost between $200,000 and $250,000.

In accordance with halting shows to deal with the budget cuts, students will be faced with having to pay $6 (versus the usual free admittance) while regular visitors must pay $8 for entry starting August 1.

As executive director for the Museum of Art, Tom Livesay, likes to put it, "The pie is not getting bigger, but the slices are getting smaller."

The cuts facing the Museum of Art amount to a loss of approximately $107,000.

Not only is the MOA cutting exhibits, they have also had to eliminate two staff positions and many student worker positions. Luckily, the dean of the School of Art and Design donated $5,000 toward hiring student workers.

Funding for the MOA comes in many different forms such as grants, bank and corporate donations and private donations. Students also help raise funding awareness by running booths, which is a relatively small contribution in the larger picture of regulating funds, but it informs the masses that contributions are needed.

"We are not afraid to do a tap dance," joked Livesay. "Student booths only make a small dent in our budgets and it's more of a cry for help in getting the needed funding to put on all of the exhibits."

Despite the budget cuts and elimination of a show, the Museum of Art will carry on with presenting exhibits, just with less feature showings. The next presentation will be, "Living Color: The Photographs of Judy Cooper," and a soft opening will be held August 28.

Cooper's exhibition will also have a member's only opening on September 11, which is for students and the public who are in the MOA club. If you become a member, you pay a one-time fee for the year and receive a multitude of benefits, one being free entry all year and other discounts.

To become a member and to read about future exhibits, go to LSU's Museum of Art Web site, lsumoa.com.

Originally Published: Issue 812 - August 18, 2009

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