Art museums are charities.

If SFMOMA is in a "dire" financial situation, it is because its billionaire trustees won't give to their own charity.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEdKpHyh331/?igshid=wzdiucb41ssk

Also, that art museums are charities is ***the single most important fact about art museums.***

It is the foundation on which the entire everything about art museums is built.

When directors lay off staff (or reduce pay) at a time such as this, it is partly because they choose not to remind their board$ that they are the stewards of a charity, and to step up.

When board$ allow layoffs, it is *entirely* because they refuse to support their own charity.

The language that boards, directors and clueless-about-all-this media outlets such as the NYT use around the present is chosen to hide these basic, foundational facts.

Art museums are charities.

Layoffs happen because boards won't support their own charities. It's that simple.