By Chad Winthrop
The Getty Center and Getty Villa, both currently are closed to the public, has created a $10 million fund to support local arts organizations, while continuing to pay all employees.
The closure impacts the J. Paul Getty Museum locations at the Getty Center in Los Angeles and Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, as well as the gardens and grounds, and the Getty Research Institute galleries and Getty Library at the Getty Center. School visits and private and public events at both sites are also canceled through August 31, 2020.
“Given the fluidity and uncertainty of the current crisis, we cannot determine the duration of the closure at this time. We will update this page as we have more information,” reads the Getty’s website.
The work of the Getty Museum, Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Research Institute and Getty Foundation, which provide grants and conduct research and conservation of cultural heritage, continues.
On April 2, Getty created a $10 million fund, administered by the California Community Foundation, to support arts organizations in Los Angeles County affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The fund is open to donations by other organizations and individuals. Learn more about and contribute to the LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund.
“The novel coronavirus outbreak has spawned an unprecedented crisis for our museums and visual arts institutions, particularly the small and midsize organizations that anchor our communities. These institutions are as diverse as LA itself, with activities ranging from providing arts education for underserved students to presenting groundbreaking art that challenges our perceptions of the world around us,” the Getty said. “With the closing of museum doors this past March, a dire reality has set in, threatening the very existence of these nonprofits. Exhibitions, performances, bookstores, and onsite cafes that normally would attract visitors are closed. And very few small to midsize arts organizations have endowment funds or reserves on hand.”
In March Getty also donated thousands of gloves and hundreds of masks to our neighbors at UCLA Health to support those laboring to care for our community during the coronavirus outbreak.
In addition, Getty will continue to pay all employees, salaried and hourly, in full during this period. In line with the Los Angeles and California Safer at Home emergency order, Getty has transitioned to telecommuting (work from home) for all staff but those in critical facilities and security operations.
