Director waves bye to Liberace Foundation

By Kristen Peterson

Thursday, April 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The executive director of the Liberace Foundation left his post this week as the nonprofit group tries to cope with the economy.

Darin Hollingsworth, who went by the title of president, said the departure was a mutual decision with the board, which will take a more active role in fundraising and daily operations.

“The economy has hit every organization in town,” Hollingsworth said. “Things are fine there. In order to keep them fine, the board has had to make some wise decisions.”

The news comes just after the museum at 1775 East Tropicana Ave. wrapped up its 30-year anniversary celebration and as it is planning to tour a portion of the Liberace collection. The foundation has also signed on with CMG Worldwide, a licensing company, to move forward with Liberace theatrical, film and tribute productions.

Efforts to revamp the showman’s image and rebrand him to younger audiences have been under way for the past few years. Liberace died in 1987, and his core fan base is aging and dying off. The tour is scheduled to begin in spring 2010 and is designed as a way to raise awareness of the late showman who has faded from popular culture in recent years.

Board Chairman Jack Rappaport said attendance at the museum has “dropped dramatically,” but couldn’t give exact numbers or a time frame.

The museum has an annual budget of about $1.3 million. Hollingsworth’s departure will give the museum about $120,000 more to work with, Rappaport said.

The board will reorganize long and short-term fundraising plans. Development was part of Hollingsworth’s duties, and he will continue to serve as a consultant.

“We don’t want to go (the) way of Las Vegas Art Museum,” Rappaport said. “We’re all feeling the pinch. We’re trying to keep it business as usual. We have an investment account. We don’t want to deplete it.”

The museum was begun to keep Liberace’s legacy alive. The performer formed the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts to give scholarships to students in the arts, and it has awarded more than $5.5 million since 1976. Even the scholarships are being scaled back — $100,000 will be given out for 2009-10, compared with $200,000 this year.