Committee approves small budget adjustment for museum recovery; conservatorship work underway

The finance committee recommended a budget adjustment of $57,520 for fiscal year 2026 to support the museum’s disaster‑recovery operations, collections care and limited outreach. Staff said the funds will support collection stabilization, storage supplies, travel to return or conserve loaned artworks, and credit‑card processing fees tied to modest retail sales of recovery merchandise. The museum director said the museum’s foundation will underwrite production costs for recovery merchandise but staff requested authority to reimburse the foundation from future sales proceeds.

Staff described ongoing conservation work: several damaged or high‑value works have been identified for offsite conservation, and the museum has received treatment proposals from a conservation center in Chicago for in‑loan or high‑value objects. The museum is also advancing insurance appraisals for affected pieces; staff said some appraisals and conservation costs will be paid through the insurer, while other costs may require additional approvals.

Committee members asked for details on the storage and processing line items, credit‑card fees tied to membership and merchandise sales and the source of reimbursement to the foundation; the museum director said the foundation would pay up‑front production costs for recovery merchandise and the city would reimburse the foundation from net sales if council approves the budget adjustment. The committee voted to place the budget adjustment on the consent agenda.

Staff also reported that conservation proposals were progressing and that some treatment for a loaned painting will be performed by a partner museum’s in‑house conservator at no charge to the city; the committee thanked staff for that collaboration and for inventory and condition assessments that are in progress.