San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum announced Wednesday that it is shutting down next month for "at least one year," saying that it is facing a severe budget shortfall and declining revenue.

According to the announcement, the museum's board of trustees has decided to shut down operations on December 15, and lay off 19 of the museum's 30-member staff in "a proactive measure to ensure The CJM’s long-term sustainability."

The museum's announcement deals a blow to efforts to revitalize San Francisco's downtown, leaving a large institution adjacent to Yerba Buena Gardens dark and inactive for a year or more.

"We must scale back to allow ourselves the time and resources needed for re-imagining and rebuilding," says the museum's executive director, Kerry King, in a statement. "It is far better for us to take necessary steps towards restructuring now, rather than waiting until we no longer have options."

King adds that the decision comes with "significant pain because it will affect our team of extraordinary and deeply dedicated individuals."

In the coming weeks, until the December 15 closing, the public is invited to view the exhibitions now on display free of charge. These include Leah Rosenberg: When One Sees a Rainbow, Looted, and Nicki Green: Firmament.

"In Judaism, Shabbat — or the Sabbath — is a time of rest, an essential moment carved out of the week for restoration and renewal," writes King, along with Board Chair Tom Kasten, in a statement. "Throughout Jewish culture, there are myriad references to moments of pause as a means to rejuvenation. The CJM’s sabbatical will allow for innovative ideation and experimentation, as well as exploration of new ways to reach wider audiences."

Wise Sons Deli, which operated a small location at the CMJ in the last decade, closed that location in July, citing a lack of foot traffic.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum is a non-collecting museum with a mission to bring "Jewish culture, history, art and ideas relevant to a 21st century audience." It began in the late 1980s as a small organization based out of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco on Steuart Street, and expanded into the acclaimed Daniel Libeskind-designed museum — a repurposed former PG&E substation — on Yerba Buena Lane at Jessie Street in 2008.

As the Chronicle reports, the museum has seen a 50% drop in attendance since it reopened in the pandemic, in 2021. And revenue has consequently fallen about 50%. In addition to museum ticket sales and donations, the CMJ also depends on revenue from event rentals — and during the closure, the building will still be available for these.

King revealed to the Chronicle that "everything is on the table," including the potential sale of the building. And the intent in the short term is to cut the annual operating budget in half, from $7.1 million to $3.2 million.

The news about the CMJ's closure comes after hearing about the struggles of other arts organizations around the Bay Area, particularly theaters. Last month saw the announcement that Cal Shakes, a beloved East Bay summertime institution, is shutting down for good after 50 years. And multiple regional theaters have for several years complained of depressed revenues and declining subscriber bases, as reliable elderly patrons decrease in number and age out of theater-going.

And in July, San Francisco's Cutting Ball Theater, an experimental black-box theater in the Tenderloin, announced its closure after 25 years.

Photo via Contemporary Jewish Museum