Despite generally strong attendance at many nonprofit museums and theaters in recent months, many arts charities around the country are laying off workers or adopting hiring freezes and cutting other expenses in response to a falloff in donations from companies, individuals, and governments. And most are bracing for much tougher times ahead.
For some cultural groups, the strain has already reached a crisis point. Since September, several arts institutions have closed or come close to closing, including the Baltimore Opera; the Bead Museum, in Washington; Santa Clarita Symphony, in California; Opera Pacific, in Santa Ana, Calif.;and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.
And as the economy worsens, philanthropy experts say arts groups could have a harder and harder time competing for donations against social-service groups.
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