By: Johnathan Wilson
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Last week, the Advertising and Promotion Commission for the City of Fayetteville voted 6-0 to cut back costs for the Clinton House Museum.
This announcement was expected after the commission cut $1.3 million out of their yearly operating budget of $5.4 million due to COVID-19. Consequently, the budget for the Clinton House Museum was cut from $240,000 to $185,000.
When the museum closed in March due to COVID-19, the commission realized they were spending more than necessary. Last year, the museum’s expenses were $240,000 while bringing in a profit of only $19,000.
Debby Winters, a member of the Washington County Democrats, is one of many people who hold the Clinton Museum dear to them. Winters says she hopes the house can maintain its museum status because it’s full of history.
“So that was where Bill and Hillary first lived, and that’s where they got married,” said Winters. “They taught at the law school. There’s a lot of history there.”
The commission gave the task of scaling back operations at the Clinton museum to Molly Rawn, the chief executive officer for Experience Fayetteville.
“The goal is for the museum to be more sustainable and not require so much support financially from the advertising and promotion commission,” she said.
Rawn knows this conversation is unpleasant, but she says it’s important to protect and preserve the house whether it is a museum or not.
“This winding down process can really be laying the groundwork for the next phase, and that can still be a positive phase,” said Rawn. “I don’t feel like the museum is going away forever.”
Winters said she’s excited to see what that new phase is, but she is hopeful that the new phase keeps the house as a museum.
To experience the museum for yourself, click on this Thinglink.