| re: Perhaps the family/estate can donate that $3.5 million payout back to the Met to compensate the Orchestra and Chorus who haven't been paid in a year | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 03:08 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Perhaps the family/estate can donate that $3.5 million payout back to the Met to compensate the Orchestra and Chorus who haven't been paid in a year - NewtonUK 02:08 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
|
|
|
| No, but when we talk about the lack of funds at the Met and how it has been suffering budget woes since before the Pandemic, we can't ignore the fact that Levine's payout for being fired over the many allegations of sexual harassment and abuse represents not just a significant pot of money in general, but underlines the way that non-profit arts organizations pay their senior management outrageous sums of money while asking "staff and unions" to accept reduced wages and austerity budgets that are meant to support the long-term health of the organization (because, you know, we're all in this together). And of course, it's not just the Met. Just recently, we learned that BAM gave their new President a million dollar bonus to buy park side real estate, provided she remain in the role for five years. This was quite the vote of confidence on behalf of the Board - but Boards always find a way to pay their own - considering that she'd never run an organization as large as BAM, and also quite generous, considering that she only had to give a five years of work - and indeed, once those five years were up. she promptly moved to a new organization and kept the house. Meanwhile, BAM was asking its various artistic and programming departments to continue providing the high quality work that audiences expect of them on less and less money, and morale throughout the organization was at an all-time low (all of this reported in the Times a few weeks ago). At least the Met has the good sense to own the million-dollar apartment that Peter Gelb lives in as part of his compensation package (though I wouldn't be surprised if he manages to hold onto it if he leaves the organization). Things are no different at the city's other major arts institutions (MoMA's executive compensation compared to what their museum staff gets paid is truly shameful), but the Levine payment is perhaps the most egregious because of how directly it points to the corruption at the heart of our arts culture and the ways that it continually rewards the privileged few at the hands of the many, who nonetheless are constantly encouraged to find solidarity in serving their art despite not being well paid for it. |
|
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: Perhaps the family/estate can donate that $3.5 million payout back to the Met to compensate the Orchestra and Chorus who haven't been paid in a year - MockingbirdGirl 09:24 am EDT 03/18/21 |
| Next: | re: James Levine passed away over a week ago - PlayWiz 12:39 pm EDT 03/17/21 |
| Thread: | |
Time to render: 0.008241 seconds.