The director of the Museum of Art and Design in Benešov, Škvorová, has resigned

Benešov – The director of the Museum of Art and Design (MUD) in Benešov, Lenka Škvorová, has resigned; the reasons include disagreements with the culture department at the Benešov city hall. Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Zahradníček (Choice for Benešov) told ČTK that the city administration was satisfied with Škvorová's work. The management of the museum has been temporarily entrusted to Alena Ochepovsky, the head of its artistic department, and a selection process will be announced for Škvorová's successor.

Škvorová took over the leadership of the museum in 2017 after Tomáš Fassati's departure and was officially appointed as director two years later. According to her statement, which ČTK has access to, the reason for her resignation is "unresolved issues regarding the communication methods" between the education department and the museum, which she reportedly repeatedly brought to the attention of the city administration.

"The response was an unannounced audit of MUD's management, the course and findings of which do not correspond to standard practices. For this reason, the organization's accountant also decided to terminate her employment," she added. It is also alleged that she was criticized for inefficiency in purchasing antigen tests for employees.

However, Zahradníček stated that the museum operated excellently under Škvorová's leadership, even during the pandemic. "We had no complaints," he said. However, he did not deny that communication between the museum and the culture department was more complicated. According to him, this was related to the materials the museum regularly submitted to the office, like other subsidy organizations. "Sometimes it was necessary to add something or submit by a better deadline and so on," stated Zahradníček.

In her statement, Škvorová also pointed out the ten percent reduction in the city's contribution, which she claims threatens the functioning of the institution, making it impossible to carry out any planned program, including a major exhibition project or day camps. "At the same time, several grants have currently been allocated and additional ones have been applied for. In the case of a reduced contribution, the grants will have to be returned, and it is very likely that MUD will not receive any for several more years," she warned.

Škvorová's departure and the reduction of funds for the design museum are not welcomed by the director of the Central Bohemian Gallery in Kutná Hora, Jana Šorfová, who helped the new management after Fassati's resignation. She also expressed concern about how the institution will finance its activities now.

Zahradníček countered that due to the pandemic and a drop in revenues, the city had to cut the budget for all subsidy organizations, a similar situation occurred last year, according to him. The Benešov museum has an operational contribution of eight million, which was cut by 800,000 CZK. If this leads to problems for the museum, the city will negotiate a solution with it, the deputy mayor added.