The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has eliminated more than half of the staff positions at the Video Data Bank, a globally recognized video art organization that serves museums worldwide. Three of the organization's five staff members lost their jobs on November 12, leaving the future of the influential institution uncertain as it approaches its 50th anniversary.
Tom Colley, the Video Data Bank's former director, confirmed that his position was eliminated along with those of Elise Schierbeek, the digital collection and media manager, and Nicky Ni, a distribution assistant. Colley revealed that the school made these decisions without consulting or informing the Video Data Bank staff beforehand. "Other structural and mission changes are happening as well," Colley wrote in an email that was later shared on social media. "I have heard that there will be no acquisitions or programming."
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago attributed the cuts to financial pressures facing many colleges across the country. "Like many colleges, SAIC is facing financial pressures due to changes in federal policy and their effects on enrollment," a school spokesperson said in a statement. The institution explained that it has taken several cost-cutting measures, including eliminating staff roles throughout the college to better focus on its academic mission.
Despite the significant staff reductions, the school insists that the Video Data Bank will continue to operate. "The Video Data Bank is not going away; however, in order to maintain and distribute its collection, we needed to adjust staffing levels," the spokesperson continued. "This was a challenging but necessary decision that allows us to protect our core teaching mission and preserve the future of the Video Data Bank." The organization's website now lists only two remaining staff members, with Colley, Ni, and Schierbeek no longer appearing on the roster.
Founded in 1976, the Video Data Bank was preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary and has built an impressive collection of video artworks that it distributes to museums, libraries, alternative spaces, and other institutions globally. The organization's collection includes significant works by renowned artists such as Dara Birnbaum, Nam June Paik, Martine Syms, Valie Export, Bruce Nauman, Coco Fusco, and Pipilotti Rist, among many other notable creators in the video art field.
The organization has historically received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, which reduced grants to many arts institutions earlier this year under the Trump administration. This funding reduction may have contributed to the financial pressures that led to the current downsizing at the Video Data Bank.
The cuts have generated strong criticism from members of the arts community who understand the organization's vital role in preserving and distributing video art. Abina Manning, a former director of the Video Data Bank, expressed her concerns on Instagram, writing, "Like many of us who worked there, VDB is in my blood. Questions around what is happening with the organization, the represented artists, the staff team, the programs, the collection, are running around my brain."
In response to the crisis, an artist-run initiative called VDB Forever has emerged to address the organization's uncertain future. The group sent out an email on Monday announcing that the Video Data Bank is now being managed by Melanie Emerson, dean of the school's library and special collections. VDB Forever indicated that "this evolving group will release more information on a proposed course of action in the weeks and months to come."
The widespread concern expressed throughout the arts community highlights the Video Data Bank's irreplaceable contribution to the field of moving-image art. As VDB Forever noted in their communication, "Although the future of VDB is uncertain, the concern expressed across the arts community underscores the organization's irreplaceable role in the history, present, and future of moving-image art." The coming weeks and months will be crucial in determining whether this important cultural institution can survive the current crisis and continue its mission of preserving and distributing video art to audiences worldwide.
