Director Of DIA: Selling Art Tantamount To Closing Museum (Detroit Institute of Arts)

[alp227]

Source: CBS Detroit

As Detroit continues to work through its bankruptcy, the director of the Detroit Institute of Arts releases a letter this weekend weighing in on the possible sale of museum’s art collection.

In a letter titled “Will the DIA have to sell its art,” — director Graham Beal says selling their art will not only “threaten the millage proceeds which they rely on to operate the museum — but he says it would also be equivalent to shutting the museum’s doors. Detroit’s Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr has stated that the some of the art could be sold as part of the city’s bankruptcy deal Beal says the art being considered as “assets” are those that were bought by Detroit between 1922 and 1931– that’s about 33-hundred pieces.

In the letter, Beal says the DIA staff has had very little contact with the Emergency Manager’s office — and calls the whole situation “complex and confusing.”

Read more: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/09/01/director-of-dia-selling-art-tantamount-to-closing-museum/

[PDJane]

1. Sigh. Yes.

[Billy Love]

2. The emergency manager needs to be in prison. For the rest of his life.

And so does Snyder the Asshole.

[mbperrin]

3. You're so kind.

I'd like to have him taken out and shot. Many times. Snyder, too.

[Demeter]

4. Like any other museum the DIA has most of its collection in storage

and some of it never sees the light of day for public visitors. Items of poorer quality, or only of scholarly interest, might be put on sale without disrupting the function of a public art museum.

But of course, those more obscure items would probably not bring in the big bucks....because the 1% isn't interested in art, they are interested in TROPHIES.

[Jefferson23]

5. That is a crime, imo. n/t

[tokenlib]

6. It isn't going to be so easy to sell DIA art.. there will be a fight

All the suburbs that support the DIA through millages see it as their art too. The people of Michigan..at least those who cherish the art will feel this is an attempt to steal from them. Somehow I don't see the Emergency Manager getting away with this...

I hope I'm right...

[1gobluedem]

7. I hope you are too

I really don't see this happening.

[navarth]

8. We'll have to see...

they've been getting away with running a Bain Capital-type emptying of The D for a long time. Now L. Brooks Patterson is against it, but who knows what these people will do before they're done stealing the silverware.

[gopiscrap]

9. It's fucking criminal what is being allowed to be done to this city

[burrowowl]

10. Yes and by criminals!

So called legal criminals. Out with them!

[gopiscrap]

11. I totally agree with you

this is what happens when we give fucking god damn repukes any form of power!

[JustanAngel]

12. We have come to value oil over art.

Without art the world can seem very cold. Maybe less money should be spent on city office renovations/furnishings,etc Scholarly art has its place, as well.

[blkmusclmachine]

13. The Nazis would similarly "appropriate" public goods, too, yes???

[blkmusclmachine]

14. Blueprint for the future.

Who really is running the government?