Whitney Pares Staff, Exhibitions

The Whitney Museum of American Art says a dramatic post-Sept. 11 drop-off in tourists has forced it to cut staff and exhibitions to save about $1 million.

The 70-year-old facility will trim 14 workers from its 210-member staff and cut back on its scheduled roster of exhibitions for 2002.

The Whitney is the second major New York museum to lay off personnel since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Last month, the Guggenheim Museum announced it was cutting exhibitions and 80 people, about 20% of its staff, to save money.

In the weeks after the attacks, attendance at the Whitney was about 9,000 per week, down from last year’s average of 12,500.

In recent weeks, attendance is up but paid admissions are down.

The increase in visitors probably was the result of an influx of museum members, students and other guests eligible for a discount from the usual $10 admission, Whitney director Maxwell Anderson said.

The 40% drop in paid admissions largely was from falling tourism, he said.

About half the Whitney’s paid admissions are non-New Yorkers.

Although there was hope of a rebound during the holiday season, museum officials decided to act now.

“We are not waiting around to find out,” Anderson said. “That is what this decision is all about.”