Art museum imposes unpaid vacations to save cash

The Indianapolis Museum of Art will furlough its staff of 270 for one week this fiscal year in an effort to trim $1.4 million, or 5.5 percent, from its $25.5 million budget.

The unpaid leave was announced to employees Thursday, spokeswoman Katie Zarich said. Staff members will be allowed to take the week anytime between Nov. 1 and June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

The latest trimming comes after an end-of-quarter financial review, which showed that fund-raising efforts and other sources of revenue weren’t meeting projections, Zarich said. The shortfall was "much smaller" than $1.4 million, she said, but management is hoping to avoid further budget adjustments this fiscal year.

The IMA will also trim its advertising and travel budgets, and cut back its use of contractors.