Czech Center New York feels the budget crunch

With a string of acclaimed exhibits in 2010 and a full roster of events on the horizon, it would appear the Czech Center New York has avoided the economic challenges facing many cultural institutions around the world.

But the leader of the popular arts and culture institution says the center is struggling financially, and he has grown disillusioned with the job.

"I'm not satisfied here," said Executive Director Petr Fejk. "My vision I had when I first accepted [the position] doesn't match the reality of the job."

Fejk, 46, took the helm of the center in January after 12 years as director of the Prague Zoo. But after just eight months, he said he has been marginalized by having to work under U.S. legal and financial constraints while still reporting to the Prague-based head of the Czech Centers' network, which operates 24 centers around the world as a subsidiary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Part of Fejk's job involves managing the Bohemian National Hall, the building on Manhattan's Upper East Side that houses the center, as well as the consulate general's office and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association, a Czech expat organization. The building, which was built in 1896 as a gathering place for Czech and Slovak immigrants, was completely renovated in 2003 and now includes a massive concert hall, cinema, art gallery and library. A Czech restaurant is being built on the ground floor.

Since January, the center has curated more than 80 events including the film festival "Disappearing Act" and the current "Talking Glass" installation showcasing the works of world-renowned Czech glass artists Bořek Šípek, Ondřej Smeykal and Jan William Drnek.

Fejk said his initial plan was to bring in additional revenue for the state-funded Czech Center by renting out the concert hall. The annual operating budget for the entire building is about 30 million Kč ($1.5 million), about 10 million Kč of which goes to fund the Czech Center. The Bohemian National Hall's tax status in the United States makes it difficult to bring in any commercial revenue or rent any portion of the building to outside organizations, Fejk said. That would require merging the currently separate budgets of the hall and the Czech Center, and making any such changes would require a shift in strategy by the director general of the Czech Centers, Michael W. Pospíšil, and the Foreign Affairs Ministry, according to Fejk.

"I wanted to change the philosophy of the building to make money to support the Czech Center's cultural events," he said. "[But] I don't have the space to make the relevant decisions. I'm more the superintendent of the building rather than the director."

Fejk said he has expressed to Pospíšil his displeasure concerning the financing structure, but so far nothing has changed.

"It's too complicated a system between the Bohemian National Hall in New York, the Czech Centers [headquarters] in Prague and the Foreign Affairs Ministry," he said.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has disputed Fejk's version of events but did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, without the ability to create additional revenue streams, the center is being forced to do more with less. Last year, it reduced its already small staff from eight to six, and Pavla Niklová, program director for the Czech Center New York, says some of the 24 Czech Centers around the world may be forced to close next year because of budget cuts.

"We can't raise money the way, for instance, a nongovernmental organization can. That's a real limitation," she said. "So we're trying to be inventive."

The Czech Center, which was recently ranked one of New York's top five foreign culture centers by Time Out magazine, has begun reaching out to partner with other organizations to stage events and exhibitions both onsite and elsewhere in the city. The center has even extended its reach to include other U.S. cities as it is working to bring Czech composer Miroslav Srnka to the United States to premier one of his compositions at Boston Symphony Hall.

"We have a small budget, and partnering means we don't have to do everything with our own funds," Niklová said. "It makes sense."

While the staff is getting creative in an attempt to work within the budgetary constraints, any sweeping policy or funding changes will most likely be accomplished without Fejk, who said he has no plans to remain in the United States once his contract is up, possibly as soon as the end of the year.

Though he wouldn't say what he plans to do once he leaves, he confirmed that he has been approached by multiple parties as a possible mayoral candidate in Prague. Fejk, who lives in Manhattan with his wife, Czech fashion designer Martina Nevařilová, and their two children, said he considered the offers but declined to run for personal reasons.

Jack Buehrer can be reached at
features@praguepost.com