So, Should Detroit Deaccession Its Animals and Old Cars, Too?

"Obviously with $15-17 billion in long term debt and no way to pay it off, Detroiters are delusional if they don’t think they are going to face painful sacrifices. This is the day of reckoning for a region that has failed in its basic duties." 

Ouch. Urban analyst, Aaron Renn, has more here.

So, Should Detroit Deaccession Its Animals and Old Cars, Too?

Michigan State Senate Committee Approves Bill Protecting DIA Collection

A state Senate committee moved quickly today to approve a bill that would protect the art collections at the Detroit Institute of Arts specifically, and Michigan museums in general, from liquidation in the event of a municipal bankruptcy proceeding. The bill was introduced Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, and approved on a 5-0 vote today by the General Operations Committee.

Via the Detroit Free Press. 

Michigan State Senate Committee Approves Bill Protecting DIA Collection

College Art Association Speaks Out Against Possible Sale of DIA Collection

You can read the CAA's letter here.

College Art Association Speaks Out Against Possible Sale of DIA Collection

What Do You Think? Should the Georgia Museum of Art Deaccession or Not?

La Robe de la Mariée (The Wedding Dress)

Here's your chance to chime in, although I'm tempted to think that you have to be a resident of the state of Georgia in order for your two-cents to have any value.

Regardless, Lynn Boland, Pierre Daura Curator of European Art, wants to know what you think about her proposal to deaccession four of five paintings by Bernard Smol (French, 1897–1969), mainly because there hasn't been much interest in his works since, let's say, approximately 1960. 

What Do You Think? Should the Georgia Museum of Art Deaccession or Not?

Museum Visitors to Vote on Which Work Not to Deaccession

Democracy in action.

Due to limited storage space and evolving collecting philosophy, the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia staff has decided to “deaccession,” or remove from its collection, all but one of Smol’s works. Visitors will be able to vote on which one they would like the museum to keep, and curatorial staff will take those votes into consideration.

Museum Visitors to Vote on Which Work Not to Deaccession

Will the Detroit Institute of Arts sell its collection to cover its $15 billion debt?

Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr is considering whether the multibillion-dollar collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts should be considered city assets that potentially could be sold to cover about $15 billion in debt.

Oh, oh. This is not going to be very popular, at all. 

But this isn't going to go down without a fight. DIA Executive Vice President Annmarie Erickson said the museum has hired New York bankruptcy attorney Richard Levin of Cravath, Swaine & Moore to advise ways to protect the collection from possible losses. 

“We are standing by our contention and belief that we hold the collection in trust for the public,” Erickson said this evening. “And although to some it may seem to be an asset, we do not.”

Via The Detroit Free Press. 

Will the Detroit Institute of Arts sell its collection to cover its $15 billion debt?

New Law Review Article: In Museums We Trust

Sara Tam, 3L at Fordham Law School, has just published In Museums We Trust: Analyzing the Mission of Museums, Deaccessioning Policies, and the Public Trust, in the Fordham Urban Journal. Here's the abstract.

This Note demonstrates that the emphasis on collections management policies undermines a museum’s mission to provide public access to its collections and exhibitions, whether the emphasis originates from museum professional organizations, legislative and judicial action, or media criticism. It highlights the relationship between museums and the public, exploring the museum’s duty to the public, the public’s support of museums, and the public’s expectations of museums. Defining this relationship contributes significantly to shaping museum standards. This Note provides a comprehensive examination of the varying perspectives on the legal and ethical duties currently imposed on museums.

Part I provides an overview of the museum’s mission to collect and exhibit art for the benefit of the public. It also describes the historical development of museum standards and deaccessioning policies. Part II evaluates the effectiveness of current and proposed policies on deaccessioning and the use of deaccessioning sales proceeds, as well as the theories supporting those policies. Part III posits that museums can be trusted to develop and enforce standards that reflect equally the public interest in museums themselves, their collections, and the educational experiences museums offer. Therefore, this Note suggests that legislative intervention is unnecessary to protect the public interest in museums and their collections.

New Law Review Article: In Museums We Trust