by Jasmyne Keimig • Dec 14, 2020 at 8:55 am
With the way things are going, it might be a while before we re all able to do this again. Courtesy of SAM/L. Fried
This year has been rough for everyone, and that includes art institutions. With government-mandated closures, reduced capacity, and weary art patrons, museums are collectively looking at a potential loss of close to $30 billion. One survey found 30% of museums are unsure if they ll make it through the pandemic. That could mean no more rainy Sunday afternoons wandering around a museum and overthinking 139-year-old bubbles.
This crisis has also spawned a debate over deaccessioning, the process through which museums sell off pieces in their collections to raise funds. In April, the Association of Art Museum Directors loosened regulations around the practice to allow more financial flexibility. Museums like the Baltimore Museum of Art, Everson Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum