As I suspected, this year long experiment isn’t going well;
In the year since the Washington Pavilion’s Visual Arts Center began charging admission, attendance has been lower than previous years’ estimates.
But Pavilion administrators think the lower numbers reflect more accurate counting of visitors rather than an actual decline in attendance.
Toll said getting better information about the art center’s patrons is part of why it started charging admission last July.
“The big reason we did this was not the money. By just letting people walk in, we had no idea who was coming to our different art shows,†Toll said.
Previously, the Pavilion estimated annual attendance to the arts center about 40,000. Since it started charging admission, the center has seen about 14,000 visits.
Toll said the 40,000 guess probably was an overestimate, and that the Pavilion now has much better data on visitors and their demographics.
Baloney! When the VAC was free I do recall the receptionist clicking a head counter when going in the place. And how is charging admission helping the Pavilion’s bottom line?
In the first six months, admission fees brought in about $10,000 — not enough to cover the cost of a typical show, Toll said.
The goal is to move the city-subsidized Visual Arts Center closer to a break-even operation, Toll said. The visual art board set the rates.
I see that is working out wonderfully. NOT. A more effective way to cover expenses is through successful fundraisers, charging ONLY for major exhibits and using grant money. One of the reasons I donated to Arts Night for several years is because I found great value in having a FREE arts center in our community. The Pavilion went back on their promise to the voters and community by NOT keeping the VAC free;
Visitors still have the opportunity to see exhibits free. Every first Friday of the month from 5 to 8 p.m., both the Visual Arts and the Kirby Science Discovery Centers are free. Tuesdays also are free admission.
Almost 7 in 10 visitors attended free of charge during the fee’s first six months, Toll said.
So almost 75% of the attendance occurred within a 5-day period each month? Doesn’t this tell the Pavilion something? People want to see the exhibits for FREE, and are entitled to IMO because of the enormous subsidy we give them, not just from the entertainment tax and CIP money for maintenance, but also Federal and State grants the Pavilion receives. So while we are already paying to attend the Pavilion before we even walk in the doors, we still have to pay when we get there. It’s called separating the ‘Haves’ from the ‘Have Nots’, who can only afford to use the place 5 days out of the month.
Nan Baker, executive director for the Sioux Falls Arts Council, said she and her family take advantage of free days. Even on free days, visitors are given tickets to keep track of how many there are and where they come from.
Baker said tracking the number of people who enter free is important for the local economy. She said trends show that when people visit the arts center for free, they often spend money on other areas, such as baby sitters and local restaurants and bars.
Nan, the Pavilion doesn’t care about the economic impact a FREE admission may have on our community, they only care about what they can rake in. It’s time there is an external audit and review of the Washington Pavilion Management Company, and I am not talking about the city auditor or a local gun for hire. I’m talking about an out of state company that specializes in these kinds of audits and reviews. Not just some one page report prepared by the financial officer that has been there since day one with the operations manager. It’s time the taxpayers of this community found out what was going on in the Big Purple Building, it’s time for a new management company that is interested in making money from the entities it can make money from (Cinedome, Catering, Gift shop, education programs & Great Hall) and passing those profits on to the VAC so it can go back to being FREE while bringing in World class exhibits. But I am afraid our council doesn’t have the backbone to ask for this. Maybe it is time for a petition drive to revoke the Pavilion’s Management contract? Seems that is the only way we have progress anymore in this community.