BELLEVUE, Wash. — The Bellevue Arts Museum is calling on the community to help keep its doors open, as they are in the midst of a financial crisis.
The museum has been around for nearly 50 years and has been in its current building for 25. But, it may not be around much longer if they don’t get more money.
That is why the museum launched the “Save the Bellevue Arts Museum” campaign this week, asking the community for help to raise $300,000 in six weeks.
“There is a risk that if we're unsuccessful with this campaign, that the museum could close and Bellevue will lose its museum,” said Kate Casprowiak Scher, the executive director of the museum.
She said the most prominent reasons for these financial issues are fewer people visiting the museum and fewer donors since the pandemic, as well as high operational costs due to the large size of their building that they own.
“It's a very expensive facility, and then we have other expenses that relate to, you know, curatorial and marketing and development,” said Scher.
Scher said if they are not able to raise money, they have a few options they will need to look at. One option is to close temporarily and layoff staff, another option is to find a smaller building to operate out of, and a third option is to close for good.
“I think the most extreme route, and would be a very possible route, is that we would have to liquidate the asset to pay off our debt,” said Scher.
Scher said if they can get the money to remain open, they plan to revamp the museum in a way where more community members will want to come and visit.
“I feel like the museum has fallen off the map of a lot of our community members,” said Scher. “Part of that must be on the museum. We have to kind of really look at ourselves honestly and see what we need to be doing differently.”
People who were visiting the museum Friday said it is an important asset to families in the community.
One woman said she has plans to bring her son to visit soon and hopes people and businesses step up to keep it open.
“I think this is a really good opportunity to get some hands-on sensory play with him here and expose him to some new cultures,” said Tara Erdman, who was visiting the museum. “I really hope that people come out and help support their local art gallery.”