San Diego Museum of Art lays off 11 employees

On 5 August, the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) laid off 11 employees, including at least one guard, two registrars, two preparators, an exhibition manager, a development director, and a membership staff member. SDMA chief operating officer Kari Kovach said the board made the cuts amid a downturn in federal grant funding, overall budget reductions, increased operating costs, and an organizational restructure; the museum reportedly received a $25,000 federal grant in 2025 and none since. SDMA’s 2025 tax forms list director Roxana Velásquez’s salary at $488,436, with executive compensation totaling 7.3% of the museum’s expenses that year. The layoffs come as SDMA continues planning a Foster + Partners-designed West Wing expansion and as Balboa Park museums reported an average 34% attendance drop in the first quarter of 2026 after paid parking began, contributing to an estimated $5 million revenue decline across park cultural institutions.

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