Art Museum Shouldn’t Be Like a Business

The action taken recently by Newport Harbor Art Museum’s director to lay off staff members in order to reduce its deficit is appalling.

Instead of following destructive, shortsighted methods practiced by companies and corporations around the country, the museum could take a more creative and positive approach to the problem. For example, touring exhibitions that are curated somewhere else and travel around from museum to museum can be enormously expensive with insurance, shipping and rental fees. Why not originate more exhibitions by drawing from the local resources of collectors and artists in this area? This way the museum would both benefit local artists and keep the museum staff employed.

PEGGY ANN JONES

San Clemente

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