Annenberg Space for Photography lays off eight due to coronavirus closure

The Annenberg Space for Photography, the Century City art space whose image exhibitions have touched on a diverse array of subjects, including music, celebrity and climate change, has laid off eight workers after closing due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The layoffs includes seven full-time visitor services employees and one temporary employee. The Annenberg Space for Photography, which is part of the larger Annenberg Foundation, normally has a dedicated staff of 12. Remaining staff will have their hours reduced and will take pay cuts during the closure.

"This is an unprecedented and extraordinarily difficult time created by the COVID-19 public health crisis," said a spokesperson in an emailed statement. "We hope to bring everyone back on board when the photo space reopens and we continue our mission of making art and photography accessible to everyone in the Los Angeles community."

The layoffs are another indication of how quickly and deeply the COVID-19 pandemic is convulsing nonprofit arts institutions. Last week, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art announced it would furlough more than 300 workers, with remaining staffers, including museum leadership, taking pay cuts. The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles laid off 97 part-time workers, while the Hammer Museum cut 150 temporary student employees.

Two months ago, the Annenberg Space for Photography held a star-studded party to unveil its most recent exhibition, devoted to the photography of Vanity Fair magazine.

"This show marks the beginning of our second decade,” said Cinny Kennard, the Annenberg Foundation’s executive director, in her remarks to the crowd at that event.

The pandemic, however, has cut the celebration short.

For the record:
1:36 PM, Apr. 01, 2020: An earlier version of this article reported that nine employees were laid off at the Annenberg Space for Photography. The correct total is was eight.