Merced Multicultural Arts Center lays off administrative staff

The Merced Multicultural Arts Center will lay off its administrative staff, whose duties will now be maintained by volunteer work from the Merced County Arts Council’s board members, the council’s president confirmed Thursday.

As of Monday, the duties of the executive director, operations director and program director will be taken on by the dozen board members and other volunteers, according to council President Kathy Hansen. The center’s normal hours and class offerings will not change, she said.

The Merced County Arts Council is contracted to run the center inside the 645 W. Main St. building, which is owned by the city of Merced. Several years of difficulty in finding funding led to the decision on layoffs, Hansen said.

The layoffs mean the center will operate without an executive director or program director for the first time since it opened in 1996, she said. “So this is really serious, but we feel like the arts council and arts center are really, really important,” she said. “And, we are committed to really trying to get them back on solid financial footing.”

During the average year, Hansen said, the center has a budget between $250,000 and $300,000. She said the center has struggled with finding grants and raising other money for about a decade, so the reserve funds have dwindled.

Hansen said the center will continue to employ its office manager, custodial staff and those who run the Enrichment Center -- an arts-based program offered by the arts council that works with developmentally disabled adults. The Enrichment Center gets its own funding through the Central Valley Regional Center.

The arts center aims to continue to offer all of the classes and exhibits it has scheduled, Hansen said. It will have to re-evaluate its status in the future before starting any new programs or hiring on staff, she added.

Joey Essig, who was one of the three employees cut from the center, said he was disappointed by the news of his looming layoff.

He’s been the operations director for the last eight years, and held other positions before that. The others who were laid off included Executive Director Laura Phillips and Program Director Ben Davidson.

“I’m extremely disappointed. It’s something I built my life around for the last eight years,” Essig said. “This is sort of a part of who I am.”

The administrative staff members are all passionate about developing the arts in Merced, he said.

Essig was quick to support the ongoing efforts of the center. “It seems – to me anyway – that the board is very dedicated to keeping this building open,” he said.

For a town of roughly 81,000, having a downtown with an arts center, a historic theater and a playhouse is something to be proud of, said Rob Hypes, artistic director of Playhouse Merced. He said “it hurts” to see a “landmark” like the center take a blow to its staff.

“I think the arts have proven time and time again (they) bring people to downtown Merced,” he said, adding parking lots fill up quickly on the night of a performance or show.

The arts can be an economic driver in that way, he said, because visitors stop at restaurants, shops and bars before and after shows. Along with helping to support local business, he said, the arts could go a long way in defining Merced as it grows.

“The arts and the venues that supply opportunities for live performance or theater or dance, I think that can help provide a really interesting identity for Merced,” he said. “That could help set Merced apart from other cities its size.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Merced Multicultural Arts Center lays off administrative staff."