Louisville’s Speed Art Museum has eliminated the Learning, Engagement and Belonging department, resulting in the elimination of nine total employees’ positions, and a change in their education programming.
The department elimination happened as a result of financial pressures placed on the Speed. In September, the Speed’s Board of Trustees approved their fiscal year budget for 2026, which reduced the operating expenses by “nearly 30%” compared to the year before, according to Kim Butterweck, Director of Communications and Marketing for the Speed Art Museum in Louisville. The museum’s 2026 fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2026.
Due to the budget limitations, the Speed leadership has to protect non-negotiables, such as security, building maintenance and collection care.
“Like many cultural institutions nationwide, the Speed is navigating financial pressures from rising costs, shifts in philanthropic giving, and long-term changes in attendance following the pandemic,” The statement on the Speed’s website said.
The educational and community programs – including school partnerships, tours, and family events – were housed within the Learning, Engagement and Belonging department. As a result of this elimination, some programs will be organized by other departments and in “adapted forms,” Butterweck explained.
The Speed’s interactive gallery, Art Sparks, will remain open and school tours of the museum will return after a review of safe implementation. The Speed’s Curatorial Department is developing programming to connect audiences to their collections, exhibitions, Speed Cinema, and local and regional artists’ works.
“Education and community engagement remain central to our mission. The way we deliver them is evolving, but our commitment has not changed. We must adapt to today’s economic realities to ensure the Speed continues to serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky for generations to come,” the statement said.
In addition to budget cuts affecting the Speed Art Museum, the Speed Workers Union secure:
- 1 and a half weeks of pay per year of service, health benefits continued through Sept. 30, 2026.
- Payout of all unused vacation time for 2025 and any vacation time that had been rolled over from 2024.
- Letters of recommendations for employees impacted by budget cuts.
- Reciprocal memberships through July 2027.
- Retention of original hire dates if any employees affected by budgets cuts are rehired by the Speed within three years.
The union shared this in a post on their Instagram.
Of the nine employees affected by the department elimination, seven were members of the Speed Workers Union.
The list of the employees affected and the entire statement is available on the Speed Art Museum’s website.
This article appears in Oct. 1-31, 2025.