I decided to break down today and pay the entrance fee to the Pavilion’s VAC to see the latest exhibit of the permanent collection. It was nice, because in the over an hour I was there, there wasn’t a single soul in the joint. Why? Because it cost me an astounding $15 dollars and change to get in. I have never paid this much to enter the MOMA in San Fran, the Institute in Chicago or Minneapolis or the DAM in Denver. Not sure why the Pavilion thinks charging this much to see dusty old paintings is worth that? But it’s all about the Benjamins with the Pavilion these days, even recently making the city subsidize them for low income visitors even though the taxpayers already own the building and subsidize the place each year in management and maintenance. I guess the millions we throw at them already isn’t enough.
While it was nice to see an impressive permanent collection without worrying about people coughing the covid babies on me, I was unimpressed by the lackluster presentation. Not only were most of the exhibits not labeled, the salon style of the exhibition had many great works up in the rafters where you could not view them. Maybe if I dropped another $15 dollars I could get a scissor lift to assist my viewing.
This is what happens when you turn an arts center over to a money grubbing Executive Director and a Cartoonist Department head. Enjoy wiping your butts with my $15 dollars.
The Pavilion has always lacked a good business plan. Present management is better than before but there’s still no economic justification. The problem started with Munson wanting to rescue his high school alma mater. Recent mayors inherited a mess. There’s so much drain servicing city failures. Imagine what could have been done from Huether (alone) mismanagement and misappropriation. We’d have a cross town expressway, welfare for low income, adequate health care for COVID, help for tornado damage, a new water plant, more police with substations, infrastructure for new schools, etc..
When a local art gallery makes it to $15 before wages do, then we know we still have a problem.
There should be a $5 menu like the Burger Chains. Then $10 supersize it with a pass to the Aquatics Center. The AAA deal (Art And Aquatics).