Not only was Kermit’s suggestion snarky (FF: 11:00), you could tell he was pretty much fed up with the money bleeding going on at the Pavilion. Anderson and Staggers both voted against the Pavilion’s new gift shop.
The plan is for the Pavilion to build a Northside gift shop to sell more art related items, not a bad idea in itself, except, the Pavilion already has a gift shop (that they have made smaller) on the Southside. It sells stuff like plastic dinosaurs and magnetic rocks. They also have a nice gift shop area in the reception of the Visual Arts Center. I guess I would be all for an expanded gift shop at the VAC, if the VAC stopped charging admission to get in there dirty galleries and miss hung giclee print exhibits, and if the Pavilion actually focused on making money instead having inter-office shananigans.
Larry Toll (1/2 CEO of the Pavilion) said that the problem is people can’t find the VAC because the escalators were never put in. Well jinkies, Larry, after 14 years, you would think you would get around to it instead putting bandaids on the problem (I think the city budgeted for the escalator installation in 2015).
Personally, I think it is time to end the contract with the WP’s management company and find a new contractor. And just so we can hold someone accountable for the several financial mis-steps that have been happening over the past 14 years, I suggest a FULL forensic and financial audit of the place before we hand them their pinkslips. Remember the finance and operations director have been there since day one . . . Hmm.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.†– Albert Einstein
and don’t forget the other CEO, scott peterson who helped lead lodgenet into bankruptcy.
I just listened to the meeting, and I wonder if the aye votes would have been so quick to approve this $85,000 if it came directly out of their own pockets. Loved Kermit’s statements and questions. When asked if it would make money, the guy testifying just the same as admitted probably not. I have been to the Visual Arts Center several times and had no trouble finding it. If that’s the problem, put up a few better signs. If it needs an area to sell stuff, there is plenty of area there already without spending an additional $85,000 of the people’s money. Actually there was a small gift store there as I remember. Maybe this $85,000 is coming out of Huether’s or Larry’s stash!
Einstein? I thought Dr. Bosworth was the one who came up with that quote….
OH come on. You can’t overpay a favored contractor to set up a card table.
It will take time to gear down operations and repurposed the Pavilion into an indoor swimming facility. How about a vending machines gift cubicle and close the present gift shop. Then machines can be moved outside the EC for visitors witnessing the inferior construction demolition.
Repurposing
I would like to point out that the gift shop on the south side of the building is for those visiting the Kirby Science Discovery Center and Cinedome Theater which is opposite side of the the building as the V.A.C.. This gift shop provides items related to the KSDC and Cinedome theater as to seeing how it is aimed towards thw young visitors that attend these places, it’s not targeting to get people from the V.A.C. into there. I can understand the V.A.C. requesting thier own small gift shop for several reasons. First off they wpuld be selling ote, s geared tpwards thwir visitors, not items geared towards the choldren and teenagers who are attending the KSDCand Theater, it’s practical to actually havea artsgift shop near the arts center too! seriously, if you wanted a piece of art memorabilia would you find that having to travel to the opposite side of the building to be even remotely practical? Another huge reason they need one is because events in the V.A.C. are scheduled at times where the rest of the building is closed ; for instance when new galleries come in there are many times gallery opening receptions where the V.A.C is the only part of the building open. why bring on employees fromother parts of the building to be open for several hours if there’s no one in their part of the building?
This post was full of points that were really not looking at the big picture of the V.A.C. and Washington Pavilion. Also quit complaining about the acredited galleries the Washington Pavilion get, because where’s the next closest acredited art museum?