[Source: Srianthi Perera, Arizona Republic] -- More than six months after Mesa reduced or stopped funding for arts institutions in the city, the directors of Mesa's three major museums are aggressively pursuing options to keep their doors open and exhibits fresh. Collaborative efforts, increased community involvement and a heavy reliance on volunteers are proving to be vital for the Mesa Southwest Museum, the Arizona Museum for Youth and the Mesa Historical Museum. With deficits, skeletal budgets, unresolved projects and diminished services, it's touch and go. The numbers tell the story of this downtown Mesa museum. City funding was cut in half last year, to $1,220,543, and the museum is operating with 12 staff members, half the number before the cuts. Museum hours were reduced in July from 39 a week to 30, and the advertising budget was slashed from $30,000 to $15,000. Museum attendance fell 38 percent in the last half of 2006 compared with the same period in 2005. Among the few bits of good news is that starting Jan. 16, a new cadre of volunteers has made it possible for the museum to be open 38 hours a week. Even with that, director Tom Wilson doesn't mince words. "People aren't used to finding out that museums are closing in the middle of the afternoon. A lot of people are disappointed," Wilson said. "They either have to leave early or can't get in the front door. We're making a lot of citizens in Mesa mad."
[Note: To read the full article, click here. ] Photo by Mesa Southwest Museum.
