Cultural institutions bracing for inflation in San Mateo County

Since reopening the theater doors to the public, Schmidt said shows and events have regularly sold out and requests to host events at his venue in the heart of Redwood City have flooded in. The workload was so much, it forced him and his team to shut down and take a brief break to ensure no one burned out.

Shows like “Mamma Mia!” are scheduled for August with big holiday productions following closely behind and, despite growing concerns around the economy, Schmidt said his main concern is whether the venue will be able to obtain enough production staff who are all in high demand at this point.

Schmidt’s positive outlook is shared by Mitch Postel, president of the San Mateo County Historical Association. Postel agreed with the assertion that the craving for entertainment has only grown over the past few years.

Local appeal

Taking it a step further, Postel argued that county residents have become even more curious about Peninsula institutions. Rather than traveling to San Francisco for its cultural amenities, Postel said locals are planning visits to places like the Filoli Historic House and Garden, the Hiller Aviation Museum and the association’s three sites, the History Museum in Redwood City, Sánchez Adobe in Pacifica and the Woodside Store.

“There’s a lot of things right here on the Peninsula and over on the coast to do without having to go into the city and I think, increasingly, people are thinking that way,” Postel said. “These are local amenities that are easier to reach, less crowded and could be more and more attractive to Peninsula people.”

During a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, Filoli Chief Executive Officer Kara Newport said attendance shot up in 2021 with about 45% of visitors and members coming from the county, and foot traffic is only expected to grow, influencing plans for the estate to substantially expand their 70-person strong team.

Attendance at the Peninsula Museum of Art, now located in the Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno, had been low during the pandemic but Executive Director Christina Chahal said recent turnout to their most recent exhibit, Prism Play, a collection of art quilts created by the Studio Art Quilt Associates, was something to celebrate.

“Their members turned out in droves to appreciate the abundant creativity of their peers. It was wonderful! There was a lot of pent-up demand for them to see one another and to see all the new work,” Chahal said in an email.

But competition for visitors is also high and Leslie Stupple, artistic director at Pied Piper Players, a drama school and theater community in Burlingame, said in an email she recent felt compelled “to start sounding the alarms with the press that the arts are under attack from financial pressures and a lack of pro-action and support from our local governments.”

Searching for support

The Save our Stages Act, included as a $15 billion section of a second $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill approved last January, offered venues and cultural centers some support but those funds went quickly, leaving many looking to local support to remain open.

Postel shared some of Stupple’s concerns. Inflation isn’t likely to drive visitors away from the association’s historical sites given how low its prices are and how frequently they offer free days. But more than 50% of its budget is supported through large contributions and as the economy weakens he said public generosity shrinks.

A donor who once contributed $1,000 to support the association is likely to decrease their donation by half. Those adjustments add up, Postel said, forcing the association and institutions like it to dip further into rainy day reserves that have likely already taken a hit during the pandemic.

Part of attracting those funds is by proving your value to the community, something Postel said the History Museum is doing through a number of upgrades. Roughly $13.5 million is being spent on building the Taube Family Carriage House, a three-story addition to Courthouse Square where the county’s collection of carriages will be on display for the first time.

The museum’s San Mateo County Entrepreneurs exhibit is also getting a revamp and a new natural history exhibit is in the works. Postel said he expects all these features to be complete within 18 to 24 months.

Meanwhile, Chahal shared concerns that smaller venues with fewer attractions and dedicated audiences will struggle to compete against larger institutions.

“The key factor in public turnout, especially for a small museum like us, is whether the art already has an audience, like SAQA, rather than hoping people will carve out time away from their busy lives to discover something new. We hope for that, but competing for time and creating demand has proven to be a challenge,” Chahal said.

Tougher times likely lie ahead but Schmidt said the entertainment world will persevere as it’s done many times over in the past when faced with economic collapses, health crises and other catastrophes, all driven by an affinity for arts and culture and the community it brings.

“People in the entertainment business who own venues or operate venues, they’re tough folks. They’ve been through a lot not just with COVID but with whatever is going on with the economy,” Schmidt said. “We stick with it because we love entertainment and the environment.”

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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