Bush budgeters aim to halt museum renovation - Artworld - Brief Article

The Bush administration's office of management and budget has proposed to suspend the $214-million restoration of the historic building that houses the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in the nation's capital. Team Bush wants to withhold from its 2002 budget the $45 million needed this year to continue the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2005. The White House proposal calls for resumption of the repairs in 2003, but some officials, including National Portrait Gallery director Marc Pachter, are worried that the suspension could extend beyond that.

The city's deputy mayor Eric W. Price recently told the Washington Post that the museums are a central component in the capital's new arts and entertainment district downtown; $1 billion in public and private funds is being invested in the project. Private donations of $48 million and $166 million in federal funding have been committed to the task of restoring the 161-year-old structure. Pachter told the press that the Bush plan jeopardizes the museum's fund-raising efforts. "It's a question of faith private donors will have in us," he stated. The Smithsonian has sent a letter of appeal to the office of management and budget to stop the budget cuts.

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