Metropolitan Museum Still Humongous

Hamilton Nolan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:19:02 EDT

The Metropolitan Museum of Art laid off 357 people today. This will save them $10 million—$28,000 per layoff. They still have 2,200 employees. Several uncultured questions:

What do 2,200 people do for the Metropolitan Museum? Even with retail stores and traveling exhibits and, you know, people to write the little captions on the museum things? This is a serious question. Please contribute answers in the comments.
So they laid off the low-earning schlubs. If they laid off the high-earning schlubs they would save more money, no?
Seriously even if you had 100 security guards and 200 art history experts and 100 janitors and 100 fundraisers and 100 construction workers and 200 retail workers and 100 tour guides that is only, what, 900 employees, what do these other people do? Please answer, thanks.
Isn't the real problem this whole "suggested donation" idea?

I am clearly not qualified to be a professional "knowledge worker," but, regardless, please answer. [Crains]

Upper East Side Museum Fees Now In Line With Far West Side Blowjob Fees

abalk2 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:24:48 EDT

New York art-lovers with too much class (or the lack of a corporate A&E card) to skip making the suggested donation are going to be a little lighter in the wallet: The Met is jacking its admission price up by five dollars, to a $20 total. Spokesman Harold Holzer justified the hike by saying, "Ever since 9/11, the museum has faced the ongoing challenge of a structural, operating deficit. This is a solution that helps us defray the cost of running essentially the largest museum of the country."

Holzer went on to explain that "those fake Duccios don't pay for themselves."

The Met Follows MoMA Over $20 Ticket Threshold [NYS]
Met defends authenticity of $50-million 'forgery' [TG&M]

Gawker: metropolitan museum

Metropolitan Museum Still Humongous

Upper East Side Museum Fees Now In Line With Far West Side Blowjob Fees