Voters Approve Funding for Parrish Art Museum
On April 9, registered voters in the Southampton School District approved a proposition to appropriate funds that help support the Parrish Art Museum’s educational programs and exhibitions.
The amount approved—$326,509—is the same amount the museum has requested since 2009, and accounts for 7% of the museum’s entire annual operating budget.
This year, 178 votes were cast, with 57% voting Yes and 43% voting No. The final numbers reported by the Board of Elections, including absentee ballots, were: 101 Yes; 77 No.
This is the first year that the vote was held at the museum, and that the proposition was on a ballot without the school budget. Following the examples of museums and libraries on the East End of Long Island and across New York state, the Parrish chose to move the vote to the museum to enable voters to experience the institution first hand, and to make clear that the proposition is not connected with the school budget.
For 42 years, voters of the Southampton School District have approved the requested funding for the Parrish Art Museum. While the amount of the appropriation has remained the same for six years, the museum’s new home in Water Mill has allowed it to expand breadth and depth of its programs for the community.