Some of Syracuse’s museums are feeling the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to federal arts funding. In the The Erie Canal Museum is one of them. City Hall and the museum are just steps apart, separated by Water Street. Two centuries of history include the only weighlock building in the country and other artifacts.
Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens read a proclamation last week in front of city hall recognizing all four of Syracuse’s museums.
“Whereas, The Erie Canal Museum, which opened in 1962…” Owens said. "...through tours, exhibitions, and contemporary art, lectures, artifacts, and immersive experiences, a full-size replica canal boat, the museum shares the history of the Erie Canal, which is transformational to commerce, the city of Syracuse and the country….”
Following cuts by the federal government it appears Washington doesn’t share the same enthusiasm for arts, cultural, and historical institutions relying on small grants for operational or programming needs. Erie Canal Museum Executive Director Natalie Stetson said a $25,000 grant received in March for exhibit enhancements was cancelled less than a month later.
“We made a plan B for how we would do the project without the funding before we'd applied because it's something that is really important to the work we're doing and the future of the museum," Stetson said. "Whether we have to grant or not, we knew we needed to move forward In some capacity. We had a scaled down version of it that we had already planned. We just reverted back to that plan when the grant was cancelled.”
Stetson said the loss is not critical to their $800,000 annual budget, but they will have to tap into the museum’s reserves to finish the project. She said they have stepped up fundraising appeals to try to make up the difference and prepare for additional funding cuts.
"We announced that we lost the $25,000 grant and have told people if they want to help us out, we've given them a link where they can donate and tell us that's why they're donating and it will go towards the project," Stetson said. "There's a bigger sitting down and thinking about what we're doing and where we're going, slowing our plans down, and trying to be very strategic and purposeful about what we're doing.”
Stetson said her main priority is to keep her seven full-time and four part-time staff on the payroll. She said they’re planning a big fundraising event to celebrate the Erie Canal’s bicentennial, which she hopes will inspire community support.
