Museum faces staff cuts, slumping economy blamed

By Kevin Cloe, Publisher

First it was the local school district, then the Wickenburg town government, and now the community’s museum.

Yes, the slumping national economy is also being felt in Wickenburg.

The Desert Caballeros Western Museum, the oldest cultural institution in the Wickenburg community, announced last week that it needed to eliminate two full-time positions in order to ensure stability in its operation for the next year.

Director of Marketing Kate McCusker and Special Projects Administrator Craig Duncan were released last week by the museum.

“These conditions, which are hopefully of a short duration, hit at the heart of our organization, particularly as a reduction in the workforce became apparent after careful study and review,” noted Museum Executive Director Royce Kardinal. “We felt it was necessary to take these actions to maintain our sound fiscal responsibility in preparation for the summer and the rest of (fiscal year) 2008-2009.”

The cutbacks in staff at the museum followed the local school district’s announcement earlier this month that about a half dozen positions in the local elementary schools would have to be eliminated due to declining enrollment; and then, one week later, the Town of Wickenburg’s cutback of 7 percent of its workforce (including the Planning and Zoning director) due to anticipated declining tax revenues.

McCusker had been employed by the museum for nearly five years and had brought a creative talent and ability that has progressed the museum to a regional presence, according to Kardinal.

“Her efforts have increased the visibility of the institution and brought national attention to the hometown museum,” she added.

Duncan worked on special projects, including the successful Cowgirl Up! Art From the Other Half of the West exhibition and sale, which concludes on May 4.

Kardinal credited each of them for carrying on and enhancing the traditions of excellence created by the museum’s founders more than 48 years ago and said their departures will have consequences. However, she said she remains hopeful that programming and special exhibits will not suffer.

“It creates an extra burden on the remaining staff to lose co-workers of value and still carry on,” she noted. “However, the team remaining in place is dedicated and will continue to perform at a high level.”

With the cutback, the number of paid staff members at the museum was reduced from nine to seven. The museum also takes advantage of its 250 volunteers who contribute more than 20,000 hours to the daily operations.

Museum Board Treasurer Gary Turner explained that it required all nine members of the staff to contribute to the museum’s recently completed accreditation process. That accreditation will give the museum more opportunities to accept grants that finance special projects, he said.

“The accreditation required the staff’s time for the past two years,” he noted. “It (accreditation review) is conducted every 10 years, and it requires a tremendous amount of work.

“Most other museums don’t have the staff to pursue accreditation,” he added. “It took Royce and her entire staff to accomplish it.”

Turner further explained, however, that grants generally do not cover operational expenses such as salaries and facility expenses. He said funding for those expenses come from museum admission fees, sponsorships, gift store revenues, education programs and membership dues. The museum currently has about 1,000 dues-paying members.

“We just had to prepare for an economy that might not get better soon,” he concluded in explaining the need for the staff reduction.

Kardinal further noted that a nearly 75 percent reduction in the marketing budget will probably have an impact on the local economy. She said the marketing during the past five years resulted in the community benefiting by the number of visitors it attracted to the town. The museum expects to finish the current fiscal year with more than 55,000 visitors counted through its front doors - compared to the 26,000 who visited in 2003.

“Museum visitors tend to be higher-than-average spenders at local restaurants, merchants, galleries, hotels and guest ranches,” Kardinal noted.

However, she added, some local residents see the museum as a healthy recipient of numerous donations.

“Operating dollars are difficult to come by for non-profit organizations,” she said, “particularly when area residents and business people tend to see the museum adding improvements such as the recently dedicated Klein Pavilion. We’re the most taken-for-granted organization in town.

“It’s easy to take for granted and conclude that if they (the museum) have enough dollars to build and add on, they must be a wealthy place and not need my support,” Kardinal said in expressing what she believes to be a common misperception. “The new structure and Cultural Crossroads exhibits were fully funded and made possible by grants from the Frueauff Foundation and the Wellik Foundation.”

Fundraising for non-profit organizations is competitive, she added, and few events that provide a strong revenue stream such as the Cowgirl Up! show and exhibit can be staged each year. The cost of preparing for such special events requires sponsorship funds from individuals as well as business and corporate entities, she concluded, so not only does the museum rely on those local sponsorships but also needs more regional recognition and support.

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