GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Historians at the Gaston County Museum worry they could lose critical funding and be forced to shut down nearly one year after a controversial exhibit.
The chair of the board of the museum fears that losing the funding is connected to the exhibit of two men kissing, which was removed last summer.
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However, county leaders said talks about funding have been happening for a long time.
The museum would be permanently closed if commissioners remove its funding, said Kimberly Norwood, chair of the board of trustees.
“We would close our doors,” Norwood said.
The county gives the museum nearly $1 million a year for staffing and maintaining three buildings.
Norwood said it would take them eight years to raise that much money for the museum on their own.
“There is no way right now we could raise $1 million and keep the museum open,” Norwood said.
She believes the museum would not be scrutinized had it not been for the exhibit.
Museum officials were reportedly asked by the county to remove the picture of the two men because some commissioners said it was inappropriate.
“I feel like that picture was a springboard,” Norwood said.
Channel 9′s Ken Lemon asked Gaston County Board of Commissioners Chair Chad Brown if that is true.
“Absolutely not. We have been looking at this for a long time,” Brown said.
He said commissioners first considered removing funding about 13 years ago.
Commissioners must cut costs to avoid major tax increases because property taxes are skyrocketing, Brown said.
“It’s probably going to be the biggest tax cut Gaston County has ever had,” Brown said.
He said they are looking at several non-mandated programs, and he cited a study showing the museum gets only about $5,000 visitors a year.
“We don’t own the building. We don’t get any return on investment,” Brown said.
Museum supporters said the return is the knowledge gained by visitors, who are mostly school children.
Advocate Clark Simon is a former Charlotte Pride leader and a Gaston County resident.
He worries commissioners don’t want the museum to display images from the LBGTQ+ community.
“It’s just disgraceful. It shows that people are not welcome in Gaston County unless you fit into the narrative,” Simon said.
Operators will celebrate the museum’s 50th anniversary in two years, but they are now focused on the next two months. The county’s budget will be decided by June 30.
Last weekend, the Gaston County Museum won two awards of excellence from the North Carolina Museum Council.
One was for the exhibit, which included the picture removed days after the start of the exhibition.
VIDEO: Charlotte Pride parade photo removed from museum at request of Gaston County manager
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