By KPR
Owensboro, KY – A running deficit amid the recession is putting the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art in a precarious situation: raise more than $200,000 to keep the institution open or shut it down. Its total operating budget is nearly $1 million. Dean Stanley is the chairman of the museum's board of directors.
"Our needs are immediate, and as funds might become available to us, it sort of extends the date and time that we might have to close. So, it's a pretty imminent problem."
Stanley says the museum began operating with a deficit after a fire there in 2003 that forced it to dip into its reserves. In recent years, it has tried to raise money and laid off full-time staff. The city's arts commission is working with the museum and other Owensboro groups to stabilize long-term funding.