BROOKLYN (PIX11) – The Brooklyn Museum has paused its First Saturdays program as it handles “budgetary deficits and straining cash flow,” according to the museum's leadership.
For over 25 years, First Saturdays has brought guests to the museum for free, after-hours programming. It was previously set to run from February to June and August and October.
The popular free Saturday events are expected to return in May, according to the museum. It’s just one of a slew of changes being made as the museum faces financial trouble.
“Simply put, our expenses have grown more rapidly than our revenue. This requires changes to our program, operations, and the size of our team, to help set the course for longer-term sustainability,” museum leadership said in a letter to the community.
Programs like First Saturdays will be adjusted while others with lower attendance will be discontinued. The museum will reduce its annual exhibitions from 12 to around nine.
Meanwhile, the museum is cutting its workforce by 10%, including both union and non-union positions, museum leadership said in the letter.
Around 50 workers were recently told they would be laid off effective March 10, according to District Council 37 and UAW union representatives. The layoffs will include clerical workers, educators, curators, guards and more.
In its letter, museum leadership said it is negotiating the layoffs with the unions. Wages are the majority of the museum’s operating budget, and senior leadership will take pay cuts, according to the letter.
“[They’re] attempting to solve a $10 million deficit by eliminating the very people who make the museum run,” union organizers said.
On Tuesday evening, elected officials and union representatives will host a rally at the museum to protest the planned layoffs.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.
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