San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum will close Dec. 15 for at least one year, it announced Wednesday, citing financial obstacles and low attendance. Over the next several months, the museum staff will be reduced from 30 to 11.
“The CJM plays a unique role in San Francisco, and we must scale back to allow ourselves the time and resources needed for re-imagining and rebuilding,” executive director Kerry King said in a statement. “It is far better for us to take necessary steps towards restructuring now, rather than waiting until we no longer have options.”
King told The Standard that attendance at the museum has been down 50% since the pandemic.
The idea of closing the museum has come up “every time we’ve have a budget discussion over the last year plus,” said King. Ultimately, the decision was made by the board of trustees, who called it “a strategic pause to ensure the museum’s longevity.”
“I think all of us in the arts and nonprofit world are very aware of what’s challenging in this world right now,” King told The Standard. “We’re going to work through this and we have talented individuals who are going to work through it but it’s hard and it’s a very hard day.”
Revenue for the museum has plummeted since the pandemic hurt museums worldwide. Last year the museum had its largest net loss in at least 10 years, according to tax filings. Filings show that while revenue pre pandemic was between $8-10 million a year, in 2023 the museum posted revenue of just $3.5 million, and lost $4.9 million.
On top of that, the museum is still $27 million in debt from outstanding loans for the construction of the current building in 2008, according to King, though she expects the museum to be able to pay off these costs.
The news of the closure comes as a blow to San Francisco’s art scene, which has sought to retake downtown as a large portion of office spaces remain empty. Still, the art’s worlds greatest victories in downtown real estate have come with their own challenges. The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco was struggling with its endowment before it was offered a new space downtown rent free. Across the street from the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the new Mexican Art Museum has been mired in controversy after failing to move into its new space, citing costs. Earlier this year, an audit from the city controllers office found Mexican Art Museum was misusing funds.
The Contemporary Jewish Museum made headlines earlier this year when seven artists announced they would withdraw their work from an open-call show unless the museum divested from Israel and joined the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. After the museum refused these demands, it left open spaces on the walls to honor the artists who withdrew from the show.
King told The San Francisco Chronicle, that the show had the highest attendance of any show since before the pandemic.
For today, King emphasized that the museum is not shutting down for good, likening the stoppage to the Sabbath period of rest. “Throughout Jewish culture, there are myriad references to moments of pause as a means to rejuvenation. The CJM’s sabbatical will allow for innovative ideation and experimentation, as well as exploration of new ways to reach wider audiences,” King wrote in her announcement.
Entry to the Contemporary Jewish Museum will be free of charge through Dec. 15.