Attendance flat at regional museums as big shows help avert steep decline. (Up Front).

In a year that saw broadly flat or declining museum attendance in L.A., the few institutions on track to post gains in 2002 proved how blockbusters and easily marketed exhibitions still have drawing power.

Leading the pack was the Museum of Contemporary Art, where last year's Andy Warhol retrospective accounted for spike in visitors, even if IE fell short of early expectations.

The exhibition, which ran from May 25 through Aug. 18, drew 195,000 visitors, helped MOCA eclipse 2001 attendance and placed it among only three of the 10 most-attended regional museums to show an increase in visitors.

As a group, attractions on the Business Journal's list of Top 10 museums, ranked by 2001 attendance, were on pace to at best match those numbers in 2002.

In 2001, L.A. County's most attended museums saw slightly more than 4.8 million visitors, a 1.7 percent increase from 2000.

Through the first 11 months of 2002, attendance was 4.4 million. The overall decline in 2002 is in part due to the closure for: renovations of the California African American Museum, which had drawn 200,000 visitors before closing in September 2001.

The J. Paul Getty Museum (No. 1 in 2001 attendance), Huntington Library (No. 4), Norton Simon Museum of Art (No. 8) and Petersen Automotive Museum (No. 10) all showed attendance declines in the 2000-2002 period.

The Travel Town Museum (No. 5) in Griffith Park remained flat through the period.

Relying more heavily on local visitors, museum officials were striking a cautious tone for 2003. Many-have trimmed budgets and made sure financing was in place before initiating capital improvements.

"We're being very thoughtful of the economy and planning for a lean year, but we do have major expansion underway," said Susan Turner Lowe, associate vice president of communications at the Huntington in San Marino. "We have very committed contributors."

Lee Wochner, president of the California Arts Advocates, a lobbying group, said arts programs, whether funded by the government or through private sources, are going to take a hit this year.

"The state's California Arts Council had a 27 percent budget cut," said Wochner. "Perhaps up to a third of the arts programs have been defunded or are getting a much smaller percentage."

King McGlaughon, director of the Merrill Lynch Center for Nonprofit Management, said a 30-year tide of increased giving had slowed in 2001, and that a downturn is coming in 2003. "For the past 30 years , giving has increased at 3 to 4 percent, annually, and the trend is to more giving each year," he said. "Even in years with recession , giving has gone up."

McGlaughon said declining stock values had stymied both individual and corporate giving, creating a "double negative on both sides of the equation."

Warhol factor

MOCA's Warhol retrospective fell shy of some projections, but nevertheless added a significant boost to the year. Through mid-December, MOCA attendance totaled 340,000, an 8 percent gain over the 315,000 posted in all of 2001.

The Warhol exhibit drew 195,000 visitors during its three-month summer run. An economic impact study conducted by the museum during the show found that 72 percent of the visitors were from California, two-thirds from L.A. County.

MOCA spokeswoman Katherine Lee said that the Warhol show drew from local and "drive" markets, including San Francisco and Phoenix. She added that international travelers remained at lower levels than before Sept. 11, 2001.

Like other major venues, MOCA has pared its budget in anticipation of reduced outside funding. Its $13.5 million 2003 budget is down 18.7 percent from 2002. "MOCA has been prudent in this climate and has made reductions in every area of the museum in order tote responsive in the current environment," said Lee.

The big show

MOCA officials hope to continue the attendance growth by drawing from crowds attending the Walt Disney Concert Hall, slated to open in October.

With the success of the Warhol exhibition illustrating the lure of well-known talent, MOCA has scheduled a retrospective of the work of Disney Concert Hall architect Frank Gehry, beginning in September.

While the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Griffith Park was on pace to post the largest boost in year-over-year attendance for 2002, it was coming off a steep decline in 2001 and wound up being essentially flat from 2000.

"Attendance was in decline in every Southern California attraction in 2001 due to 9/11, so the museum was just going along with everyone else," said Jay Aldrich, director of tourism and publications at the Autry.

Autry spokesman Xavier Sibaja attributed the increased 2002 attendance to two exhibitions: Jewish Life in the American West, which opened in June and runs to Jan. 20, and Art of the Charreria, which ran from May 5 to Sept. 29.

The Autry's $13.9 million budget for 2003 is unchanged from a year earlier and a three percent decline from 2001. Sibaja cited the decline to decreased sponsorship and a drop in attendance revenues. The endowment, from which the museum derives roughly half of its budget, has stayed constant, he said.

Faring least well in the survey was the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

While LACMA's 2001 attendance was 45 percent greater than the year earlier, it saw a 33 percent decrease in 2002. LACMA's budget also took a hit in 2002, losing $4.4 million, or 10.5 percent, from 2001. Spokeswoman Kerstin Schmidt cited the softening economy for the cut, but noted that none of the museum s programs or exhibitions have been significantly impacted.

[GRAPH OMITTED]

The List

MUSEUMS

Ranked by 2001 annual attendance

Rank  Museum                   Attendance      Budget    Year End
      * address                  * 2001      (millions)
                                 * 2000        * 2003
                               * 2002 YTD      * 2002
                                               * 2001

   1  J. Paul Getty Museum    1,331,546 (1)    $41.6     June 30
      1200 Getty Center Dr.     1,387,899       $41
      Los Angeles 90049       1,315,878 (2)    $39.4

   2  Los Angeles County         764,696         38        WND
      Museum of Art              525,267        37.6
      5905 Wilshire Blvd.      511,141 (2)       42
      Los Angeles 90036

   3  Natural History            662,440        28.2     June 30
      Museum of Los Angeles      659,231         27
      County                   672,554 (3)      25.6
      900 Exposition Blvd.
      Los Angeles 90007

   4  Huntington Library,        530,157        24.5     June 30
      Art Collections and        534,162        22.2
      Botranical Grdns.        170,791 (3)      22.6
      1151 Oxford Road
      San Marino 91108

   5  Travel Town Museum         350,000        0.45     June 30
      5200 Zoo Drive             350,000        0.45
      Los Angeles 90027          350,000        0.45

   6  Museum of Contemporary     315,000        13.5     June 30
      Art                        300,000        16.6
      250 S. Grand Ave.          340,000        17.2
      Los Angeles 90012

   7  Autry Museum of            282,910        13.9     Dec. 31
      Western Heritage           316,628        13.9
      4700 Western Heritage      316,127        14.3
      Way
      Los Angeles 90027

   8  Norton Simon Museum of     200,380        WND        WND
      Art                        219,025        WND
      411 W. Colorado Blvd.      174,347        WND
      Pasadena 91105

   9  California African         200,000        2.2      June 30
      American Museum            250,000        3.2
      600 State Drive,             NA (5)       3.1
      Exposition Park
      Los Angeles 90037

  10  Petersen Automotive        158,000        4.2      Sept. 30
      Museum                     175,000         4
      6060 Wilshire Blvd.        149,000        3.7
      Los Angeles 90036

Rank  Museum                      Funding      Membership
      * address                  * earned       * number
                              * contributions    * fee
                                  * other


   1  J. Paul Getty Museum          17%            NA
      1200 Getty Center Dr.         0%             NA
      Los Angeles 90049             83%

   2  Los Angeles County            10           65,000
      Museum of Art                 16            $65
      5905 Wilshire Blvd.           74
      Los Angeles 90036

   3  Natural History               51           19,000
      Museum of Los Angeles         11             50
      County                       38.3
      900 Exposition Blvd.
      Los Angeles 90007

   4  Huntington Library,           23           22,700
      Art Collections and           39             75
      Botranical Grdns.             38
      1151 Oxford Road
      San Marino 91108

   5  Travel Town Museum            10             NA
      5200 Zoo Drive                 2             NA
      Los Angeles 90027             88

   6  Museum of Contemporary        20           19,500
      Art                           80             60
      250 S. Grand Ave.             NA
      Los Angeles 90012

   7  Autry Museum of              31.2          5,500
      Western Heritage             21.7            55
      4700 Western Heritage        47.1
      Way
      Los Angeles 90027

   8  Norton Simon Museum of        WND          2,240
      Art                           WND            50
      411 W. Colorado Blvd.         WND
      Pasadena 91105

   9  California African             2            500
      American Museum                3             35
      600 State Drive,              WND
      Exposition Park
      Los Angeles 90037

  10  Petersen Automotive           75           2,000
      Museum                        25             55
      6060 Wilshire Blvd.           NA
      Los Angeles 90036

Rank  Museum                       Type
      * address




   1  J. Paul Getty Museum         art
      1200 Getty Center Dr.
      Los Angeles 90049

   2  Los Angeles County       encyclopedic
      Museum of Art                art
      5905 Wilshire Blvd.
      Los Angeles 90036

   3  Natural History           nature and
      Museum of Los Angeles      culture
      County
      900 Exposition Blvd.
      Los Angeles 90007

   4  Huntington Library,     art, botanical
      Art Collections and        gardens
      Botranical Grdns.
      1151 Oxford Road
      San Marino 91108

   5  Travel Town Museum         railroad
      5200 Zoo Drive             heritage
      Los Angeles 90027

   6  Museum of Contemporary   contemporary
      Art                          art
      250 S. Grand Ave.
      Los Angeles 90012

   7  Autry Museum of         history of the
      Western Heritage           American
      4700 Western Heritage        West
      Way
      Los Angeles 90027

   8  Norton Simon Museum of     fine art
      Art
      411 W. Colorado Blvd.
      Pasadena 91105

   9  California African         African-
      American Museum            American
      600 State Drive,         history, art
      Exposition Park
      Los Angeles 90037

  10  Petersen Automotive       automotive
      Museum                     history
      6060 Wilshire Blvd.
      Los Angeles 90036

Rank  Museum                               Collections
      * address




   1  J. Paul Getty Museum    Orazio Gentileschi in Genoa: Paintings
      1200 Getty Center Dr.   for the Plazzo Sauli; About Life: The
      Los Angeles 90049           Photographs of Dorothea Lange

   2  Los Angeles County          George Washington: A National
      Museum of Art              Treasure; Miracles and Mischief;
      5905 Wilshire Blvd.        Noh and Kyogen Theater in Japan
      Los Angeles 90036

   3  Natural History             Chocolate; Machu Pichu; Native
      Museum of Los Angeles         Grandeur; Grandes Maestros
      County
      900 Exposition Blvd.
      Los Angeles 90007

   4  Huntington Library,         Gloriana! The Golden Legend of
      Art Collections and      Elizabeth I; Mr. Huntington's Ranch
      Botranical Grdns.                     1903-2003
      1151 Oxford Road
      San Marino 91108

   5  Travel Town Museum            Scratch an American, Find
      5200 Zoo Drive                       a Railroader
      Los Angeles 90027

   6  Museum of Contemporary    Sam Durant; Retrofuturism: The Car
      Art                        Design of J Mays; Erratum Errata
      250 S. Grand Ave.
      Los Angeles 90012

   7  Autry Museum of           Jewish Life in the American West:
      Western Heritage           Generation to Generation; Ocean
      4700 Western Heritage      View: The Depiction of So. Cal.
      Way                               Coastal Lifestyle
      Los Angeles 90027

   8  Norton Simon Museum of       My Four Kings: Galka Scheyer
      Art                               and the Blue Four
      411 W. Colorado Blvd.
      Pasadena 91105

   9  California African       Urban Aesthetics: California Artists
      American Museum         2003; Grafton Tyler Brown: Visualizing
      600 State Drive,         California and the Pacific Northwest
      Exposition Park
      Los Angeles 90037

  10  Petersen Automotive     Million Dollar Cars: The World's Most
      Museum                    Valuable Automobiles; Kustoms With
      6060 Wilshire Blvd.           A "K"; Hollywood Star Cars
      Los Angeles 90036

Rank  Museum                       Profile        Director
      * address               * year established  * phone
                                 * employees
                               * total sq. ft.


   1  J. Paul Getty Museum           1953         Deborah Gribbon
      1200 Getty Center Dr.          345          [phone]
      Los Angeles 90049            396,000

   2  Los Angeles County             1961         Andrea L. Rich
      Museum of Art                  333          [phone]
      5905 Wilshire Blvd.          709,484
      Los Angeles 90036

   3  Natural History                1913         Jane G. Pisano
      Museum of Los Angeles          350          [phone]
      County                       150,000
      900 Exposition Blvd.
      Los Angeles 90007

   4  Huntington Library,            1919         Steven S. Koblik
      Art Collections and            358          [phone]
      Botranical Grdns.            366,000
      1151 Oxford Road
      San Marino 91108

   5  Travel Town Museum             1952         Linda J. Barth
      5200 Zoo Drive                  18          [phone]
      Los Angeles 90027            304,820

   6  Museum of Contemporary         1981         Jeremy Strick
      Art                            100          [phone]
      250 S. Grand Ave.            201,000
      Los Angeles 90012

   7  Autry Museum of                1988         John L. Gray
      Western Heritage               124          [phone]
      4700 Western Heritage        148,000
      Way
      Los Angeles 90027

   8  Norton Simon Museum of         1924         Sara Campbell (4)
      Art                            149          [phone]
      411 W. Colorado Blvd.         80,670
      Pasadena 91105

   9  California African             1981         David Crippens
      American Museum                 16          [phone]
      600 State Drive,              35,000
      Exposition Park
      Los Angeles 90037

  10  Petersen Automotive            1994         Richard G. Messer
      Museum                          30          [phone]
      6060 Wilshire Blvd.          300,000
      Los Angeles 90036

(1)Attendance figures for J. Paul Getty Center.

(2)Projected 2002 year end figures.

(3)Fiscal attendance figures.

(4)Senior Curator.

(5)Closed for renovations.

To the best of our knowledge, this information is accurate as of press
time. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and thoroughness
of the list, omissions and typographical errors sometimes occur. Please
send corrections or additions on company letterhead to the Research
Department, Los Angeles Business Journal, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite
170, Los Angeles 90036. [C]2003 Los Angeles Business Journal. This list
may not be reprinted in whole or in part without prior written
permission from the editor. Reprints are available from Wright's
Reprints, [phone].

Note: The information on this list was provided, by representatives of
the museums themselves.