Metropolitan Museum
Weiss was appointed the president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2015,and the president and CEO in 2017. [14] [15] At the time of the announcement,Weiss was quoted,"The Met is a place that strives in everything it does to set a world standard,including its administration." [16]
During the first years of his tenure,Weiss navigated budget issues,and was “widely considered a stabilizing force who has led the Met through a period of financial struggle and low morale.” [17] Then leading through a time of COVID,economic uncertainty,and societal unrest,the Met under Weiss was a leader on several high profile topics (including Sackler philanthropic funding, [18] progress on diversity and inclusion within museums, [19] and the return of museum visitors and financial stability [20] ).
Weiss faced high operating deficits when he arrived,which led to staff cuts,and led the museum to improved revenue,fundraising records,and on a path track to a balanced budget by 2020. [21] Part of Weiss's efforts included sequencing large capital projects the museum was planning. He moved ahead with renovations of the skylights over the European Paintings galleries,and paused renovation of the modern wing. [22] After the Met made progress on balancing the budget,Weiss announced moving ahead with major renovation of galleries covering art from Africa,Oceania and the Americas. [23] [24] Steady progress has been made on those and additional building and capital projects,including skylights project completed on schedule;the Children's library renovation;the announcement of renovation of the galleries for Ancient Near East and Cypriot galleries;and the gift of $125 million for the Modern and Contemporary Tang Wing and the selection of Frida Escobedo as its architect.
In 2017,Weiss was named as the museum's president and chief executive officer. [25] His appointment as the Met's top leader received attention in the museum community,as the higher-ranking role in a museum is traditionally the Director. [17]
Weiss advocated for changing the Met's admissions policy for the first time in 50 years [26] —which was controversial,and has ended up being described as highly successful. [27] [28] [29] During Weiss' tenure,the museum set attendance records for three years straight,topping seven million visitors annually. [30]
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020,under Weiss's leadership,the Met was the first cultural institution to close in New York City,to protect staff and visitors,with others following soon after. [31] Facing the temporary elimination of revenue from areas like admissions,retail and events,as well as the predicted reduction of visitors once the museum could reopen,the Met estimated that it would lose at least $100 million in revenue. Navigating budget crisis included actions such as a hiring freeze and cuts to museum programs,creating an emergency fund,redirecting earnings available from the museum's endowment,and executive pay cuts,including Weiss's. [32] By summer 2020,after five months of closure,the museum was facing $150 million in lost revenue and after keeping nearly all of its staff employed for the duration of the closure,the museum announced layoffs in August 2020. [32] The museum also announced plans to reopen five days a week in August 2020. [33] Attendance increased over ensuing months,and the museum added a sixth day to the schedule in September 2021 [34] and has since offered jobs back to all of the security staff that had been laid off. [35]
In the summer of 2020,the Met issued 13 commitments to anti-racism,diversity,and strengthening the Met community,which addressed a range of areas,including how the museum would be hiring staff to how the museum builds and oversee its collection and programming,to how the museum structures its governance,and engages its community. The museum's commitment to this work has dramatically increased in 2020 and 2021. In August 2021,Museum announced that going forward all Met internships will be paid,as opposed to volunteer. [36] Additionally,funds have been committed to support initiatives,exhibitions,and acquisitions to broaden art-historical narratives;and a $10 million acquisitions endowment was created to increase the amount of works by BIPOC artists in its 20th- and 21st-century collections. The museum also hired its first Chief Diversity Office. [37]
Weiss was the first leader to speak out on several important issues touching museums,including the Trump administration decision to pull out of UNESCO. [38] On October 12,2017,Weiss voiced,on behalf of the museum:
"President Trump's decision to withdraw from UNESCO undermines the historic role of the United States as a leader in this effort and weakens our position as a strong advocate for cultural preservation. Although UNESCO may be an imperfect organization,it has been an important leader and steadfast partner in this crucial work." [39]
Weiss has also taken positions on Saudi funding in the wake of the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, [40] and the desecration of the US Capitol building in 2021. [41]
Weiss also led the museum's response to concerns over funding from the Sackler family, [42] announcing in 2019 that the Met would turn down financial support from the family [43] and deciding in 2021 to remove the Sackler name from the Met's galleries. [44] The museum's move was described as causing other museums across the field to follow the Met's lead. [45]
