Las Vegas Business Press : Tickling the ivories for charity

Tickling the ivories for charity

The Liberace Foundation presses on to rebuild its waning fan base

BY BEN STEPHENS

Even though attendance has been declining, the Liberace Museum isn't struggling, says its director. But the board that manages the legendary performer's archive is shifting its focus to make sure it stays strong. Improving foot traffic would be good, too.

Darin Hollingsworth, executive director of the museum and the Liberace Foundation for the Performing & Creative Arts, says there has been a 40 percent attendance decline since the 28-year-old museum was remodeled in 2002.

"Last year we had just shy of 50,000 (visitors). And we're still thrilled with that," he said. But considering that 87,000 people visited five years ago, things could be better, he admitted.

ASH HOPKINS | BUSINESS PRESS
The Liberace Museum plans more outreach to raise its namesake's profile.

ASH HOPKINS | BUSINESS PRESS

Much of the drop-off could be attributed to Liberace's primary audience growing older. That's coupled with lackluster awareness among the younger generations, on which the foundation is now setting its sights.

According to IRS forms the nonprofit Liberace Foundation is required to file, total revenue from the year ending August 2005 -- the latest figures available -- was $1.6 million, with nearly congruent expenses. Documents show it was a significant increase in revenue from the prior year, combined with a moderate increase in expenses.

Asked if the museum and foundation remained in the black amidst the challenges, Hollingsworth said the board's philosophy is to run a slight deficit, adding "we are solvent, based on our audited numbers."

PLAYING THE ELVIS CARD

The original goal of the foundation when the museum launched in 1979 was for cash reserves to take care of all its needs. But declining numbers and the cost of maintaining an aging collection have deemed that impossible without looking for new sources of income.

"The property is currently mortgaged but the board seeks not to have that leverage any longer," Hollingsworth said. The board already has selected the basket in which it will put its eggs: Think licensing.

"Elvis and 'I Love Lucy' have been good at that for years," he said, noting an existing abundance of unlicensed Liberace products on the popular auction Web site eBay. "Unfortunately, it hasn't been in the board's vision until a few years ago."

The cost of licensing and enforcement deterred the board. Hollingsworth says. Propagating the Milwaukee-born icon's likeness and image could raise interest in his life, drawing more visitors to the museum, he theorizes.

KING OF BLING

Among the products to be licensed are two stage productions, Liberace-inspired fashion designs by American designer Isaac Mizrahi, as well as a retro, kitschy cookbook of all his favorite dishes. The recipes were created by chefs from the Riviera Hotel & Casino, where Liberace opened as the highest paid Las Vegas Strip performer in 1955.

Also on the list of products are Liberace sneakers with a removable jeweled cape, which hip-hop-genre shoe company Kashi Kicks will debut at the MAGIC Fashion Convention in August. The hip hop community soon will be able to pay its respect to the man whom Hollingsworth called "the original king of bling. When you're wearing a 450-carat blue topaz, you know bling."

But beneath the fun of launching these products lies the goal of funding scholarships for students of the performing arts, including music, acting, fashion design and more. Since the foundation was created in 1976, it has funded scholarships of more than 2,200 alumni, totaling more than $5 million.

Giving students a career boost was Liberace's passion, Hollingsworth explains, since it was a scholarship he received to attend the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music that helped him become a legend.

Today, the scholarship's fund reserve is about $3.5 million and another $200,000 in scholarships were announced this month.

HIS GREATEST ENCORE

In addition to finding new revenue sources, the foundation is looking for a way to draw in different crowds. Tourist traffic still accounted for two-thirds of the audience in 2006 and the museum has seen success from group-discount agreements with tour companies. But Hollingsworth says the local supply of visitors is abundant and should not be overlooked. "With 5,000 new people a month coming here, we stand a better chance in terms of attendance than luring them here off the Strip," he explained.

In order to draw in Southern Nevada residents, the museum began offering free admission to locals the second Sunday of each month.

Liberace transcends the generational gap with one demographic, but not for reasons Hollingsworth said people might expect. The gay and lesbian community doesn't identify with Liberace because of his sexuality, says Hollingsworth, who himself is openly gay.

"He never came out (of the closet)," Hollingsworth related, although no one doubted the entertainer's sexual orientation. "The gay community embraces him and I embrace him as a fabulous entertainer. It does not matter to the people he brought joy to. We are receiving wonderful attention from the gay press," Hollingsworth said, "because he was so fun and flamboyant."

It is this beloved image the foundation remains committed to preserving, Hollingsworth says, because "we consider ourselves to be his greatest encore performance."

bstephens@lvbusinesspress.com | 871-6780 x316

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