Arlington's Artisphere, now six months old, is already projected to be $800,000 short of revenue for 2011.
That's 75 percent below expectations, Arlnow reported:
"With staff not recommending any spending cuts at Artishere, the shortfall will likely be paid by Arlington County taxpayers. The county had already allocated more than $700,000 in funding for Artisphere during FY 2011, while the Rosslyn Business Improvement Corporation allocated more than $600,000."
Major media hoopla accompanied the Artisphere's opening on October 10, 2010. The 62,000-square-foot cultural campus was described by organizers as "a place between the office and home where the cultural experience is a multi-optioned conduit for patrons to connect with and create community."
Despite positive media buzz, so far, there have been fewer patrons paying to make those connections than anticipated.
The center's budget report presented to the county board on Thursday tracked a few places where the money was going faster than projected. Staff wages were higher than originally budgeted for, to the tune of $235,000. The facility has been open-fisted with artists' fees too, spending $166,000 more than expected.
The personnel-related expenses prompted a cantankerous response from the Sun Gazette's editorial board, which had the story early Friday. "We’re in the midst of a recession, and there are laid-off arts-organization staff members all over the place, and yet the county can’t find ones who fit the budget? Only in government, folks, only in government ..."
The center hopes that its restaurant, which just opened on April 1, will help boost visits. The facility noted that they've taken some steps to cut costs already, like replacing the live salsa music performances on the weekend with DJ's playing music.
There were, however, some bright spots in the report. The center has already beaten in its annual fundraising goal of $50,000.
