The Speed Art Museum has completely shut down its Learning, Engagement and Belonging (LEB) department, terminating nine employees as part of a dramatic budget reduction from $12.3 million to $8.7 million for the upcoming fiscal year. The decision comes just as the museum prepares to open its $22 million Elizabeth P. and Frederick K. Cressman Art Park on Wednesday, creating a stark contrast between the institution's expansion plans and its severe cost-cutting measures.
Karen Gillenwater, who first began working at the Speed Art Museum in the early 2000s, had returned to the institution specifically to further its mission of inviting everyone to celebrate art forever. "I really felt a draw to move back to focusing on education and connecting with communities, and saw the positive changes happening at the Speed through a lot of the transparency and community work and just reinvention of a lot of programming," she explained. As director of the LEB department over the past three years, Gillenwater and her team served nearly 20,000 people through programming designed for marginalized communities, Kentucky and Southern Indiana schools at all levels, and adult artists.
The museum's rapid expansion following the pandemic saw its workforce increase by 68 employees, according to communications director Kim Butterweck. By 2022, museum leadership had developed an ambitious five-year strategic plan focused on expanding opportunities for students, families, lifelong learners, and other audiences while strengthening the overall guest experience. Elizabeth Colón Nelson joined the effort in 2023 as associate director of community belonging, with a specific mandate to make the museum accessible to those who "had not always felt like they could walk in the front door." Her role involved reaching out to engage communities and creating programming, community days, and special events.
Betsy Huggins was hired as associate director of school engagement, managing all K-12 programs including school tours and field trips. She was also responsible for the Art Detectives program, an outreach initiative that served approximately 2,000 students annually in the Floyd County school district. "When I joined the Speed, it felt like the organization was on very solid footing, that the organization was in a growth period," Huggins recalled. The department had achieved impressive results, with participation in programs increasing by 194%, overall programming growing by 120%, and community partnerships expanding by 150%.
As fiscal year 2025-2026 approached, museum leadership determined that the rapid growth was "unsustainable" amid current economic conditions, leading the board of trustees to unanimously approve the steep budget reduction. The LEB department initially responded by cutting about 12% of its budget, including funding for art supplies, artist workshop payments, and program expansions. "Our team still only spent 33% of our budget at six months in because we heard, 'Hey, this is a tight time for the current administration,'" Colón Nelson explained.
Despite the team's cost-saving efforts and impressive performance metrics, museum leadership concluded in a joint statement that the rapid growth had not translated to increased revenue. Communications director Butterweck explained that the decision to eliminate LEB was difficult, but the museum had to prioritize non-negotiable departments such as 24/7 security, building maintenance, and collection upkeep. The timing coincided with director Raphaela Platow's announcement in June that she would not extend her contract after four years in the role, leaving the board of trustees currently searching for a permanent executive director.
On September 8, all nine LEB employees were called to what they believed would be a routine marketing meeting, only to be informed by HR and the interim executive director that their entire department was being closed. "[The employees] were deceptively believing that they were entering into our regularly scheduled marketing meeting," Huggins said. "And instead, [we] were told by HR and the interim executive director that our department was being closed." The abrupt nature of the announcement left staff feeling blindsided after years of dedicated service and positive results.
The Speed and the United Auto Workers union negotiated a severance package for some employees through the end of October, but this did not apply to all terminated staff members. Gillenwater and Huggins, who were not union members, had not reached severance agreements with the museum as of this week. For Colón Nelson, the sole income earner in her household with two young children, the termination created significant financial stress. "It feels particularly cruel in the world, that instead of expanding and connecting and reaching out, we're closing each other down and making it harder just to live," she said tearfully.
The elimination of the LEB department will have immediate and lasting impacts on the Louisville community. For the first time since the team's formation, the Speed will not host a Día de Los Muertos celebration with community partners. All school tours have been paused indefinitely, affecting thousands of students who previously benefited from educational programming. The cuts also halt community days supporting marginalized communities, the 55-and-older artist workshop, in-school art workshops, and collaborative programs with local libraries.
Former employees expressed particular concern about the museum's ability to maintain relationships with underserved communities without dedicated staff. "That work isn't achievable through an invitation alone," Gillenwater emphasized. "People only celebrate things that are personally meaningful to them, and a critical part of figuring that out and finding out how the Speed can successfully serve the community is hearing about what they care about, hearing about what their needs actually are and then supporting their journey to discover how art can help meet those needs."
Museum leadership maintains that education and community engagement will continue in different forms. "While the structure of our work is evolving, our commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for learning, connection, and belonging through art has not changed," Butterweck stated. "We must adapt to economic realities to ensure the Museum continues to serve the Commonwealth for the next 100 years." The curatorial department is reportedly reimagining ways to engage the entire community with the museum's permanent collection, special exhibitions, and cinema offerings, though specific details about these plans have not been announced.
