The sudden departure of the chief executive at the struggling Museum of Science and Industry is another sign of the museum's uncertain future. In the long term, Molly Demeulenaere's resignation after two difficult years should not dim the dream of moving the museum from its aging facility in north Tampa to a new home affiliated with Jeff Vinik's massive remake of downtown. The question in the short term is how MOSI will survive with declining ticket sales and shaky finances until it can be relocated and reimagined.
Demeulenaere's resignation last week wasn't entirely surprising, coming after two years of nagging financial problems and serious questions about her leadership from officials in Hillsborough County, which owns the museum and which has been a major benefactor. While she promised to turn things around, records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times' Steve Contorno show that ticket sales dropped 20 percent last year. With donations falling well short of goals, MOSI finished its fiscal year with a $1.3 million deficit, records show, and as of January it owed vendors about $1 million.
Officials hoped Demeulenaere could have stuck around until the museum was poised to move to Vinik's new development. Her departure leaves MOSI with uncertainty in the front office, but at least the county and MOSI have the prospects of a new home and a benefactor in the not-too-distant future. The question is how to remain viable until then.
A consultant for the museum is expected to offer several recommendations in the coming weeks to stabilize MOSI both for the immediate future and the longer term. The options could include scaling back the museum's current operations to reduce high overhead costs. The county also expects to further assist MOSI financially and to work with the museum in finding additional public and private support.
There is value in keeping MOSI alive and visible over the five years it could take to move the attraction downtown. For all its fiscal problems, MOSI has a long history in Hillsborough and a brand worth preserving. The museum went off course over the years with amenities that had nothing to do with science or industry; the challenge now is to refocus MOSI's mission directly on the scientific experience. Whatever the county does in the interim must also be sustainable.
A scaled-back MOSI could save money and give the museum the breathing space to sharpen its approach. The museum could still maintain its visibility through well-chosen exhibits that remind the community of MOSI's scientific niche. Moving downtown to a smaller, modern and more functional facility presents a rich opportunity, but MOSI will need to be relevant in the interim. It needs to continue building relationships across the spectrum — with donors, industry and the public. And it needs to start thinking now about designing a new home that focuses both on what science has revealed and where science is going.