The Indiana Historical Society laid off 11 workers July 24 from departments that oversee exhibits, education and library services.
The historical society confirmed the layoffs in an emailed statement to Mirror Indy on July 27.
“These decisions followed a careful review of how the organization is structured and where resources are focused as part of a broader effort to position the Indiana Historical Society for long-term stability and success,” the statement said, in part.
The statement came from an outside marketing agency and didn’t acknowledge Mirror Indy’s interview request.
Current and former employees told Mirror Indy that layoffs most heavily affected the teams in charge of exhibits and education. One laid off worker said those teams are usually the most public-facing parts of a museum, making the layoffs feel like the organization was “gutted from the inside out.” The former worker requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
The organization’s staff page doesn’t show a list of people anymore. A previous version of the staff page on the Wayback Machine lists 54 employees, including executive staff.
Chloe Redman, a reference librarian, was among those laid off.
Redman, 28, said it was common knowledge within the historical society that some cuts might happen. That was at least partly because of Republican Gov. Mike Braun’s decision last year to end a contract that allowed the organization to lease land from the state. In return, the state would cover some maintenance costs which totaled around $1 million per year.
But Redman, who worked at the historical society since early 2024, said 11 layoffs came as a shock.
“We didn’t expect just a sudden ‘whoosh,’ come through and take out so many people,” she said.
Redman, who’s working on her master’s of library science at IU Indy, said she has to withdraw from classes because she can’t afford to attend after being laid off.
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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