SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego is not alone in their current financial struggles. Like many institutions, they have been forced to do a significant round of layoffs.

Andrew Utt the Director of ICA in Balboa Park and in Encinitas, says losing employees is extremely difficult.

“Not quite half but 8 out of the 19,” said Andrew Utt from ICA. “I really do care about the people we’ve had working for us. The artists that have been doing projects over the years, the artists that we have on display. It hurts my soul.”

Utt has been working in the fine arts for the last 25 years and says the current climate surrounding the art world has been uncertain, as finances for many people in this economy are running thin and other funding sources are also drying up.

“We’ve had our government funding cut by 20 percent, that’s 20 percent of our entire budget,” said Utt.

While dealing with tight budgets from donors, the ICA was also hit with the perfect storm of the city’s added parking fees.

“We dropped 64 percent in attendance in Balboa park for the first half of the year,” said Utt.

Now the Balboa Park ICA has been shuttered until the new year when the parking fees go away, and the North County ICA has an altered schedule. Utt says he’s taking this time to remap a way forward to not only get fresh donors but build out a new financial system for the ICA.

“Identify ways we can grow our revenue sources so we can be sustainable so we can bring people back in the future,” said Utt. 

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