feeling bad about Brandeis closing Rose Art Museum

[MidwestMom2Kids_1]

<p>Anyone else feeling bad about the Brandeis decision to close Rose Art Museum? When my daughter was looking at colleges, we had a really nice visit to Brandeis. She stayed overnight in the dorms with a friend from high school, and I stayed over with a friend who lived very close by. Such a great school. The story makes me sad. It makes Rebecca Smith at the New York Times mad - see excerpts from her Feb 2 piece below. </p>

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The Brandeis vote was an act of breathtaking stealth and presumption: a raid on a museum that supports itself, raises its own funds and has consistently planned wisely for its own future without leaning on the university. The trustees treated it nonetheless as a disposable asset.

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The outcry in the art world was also fast and furious, with more than a few people noting that the rapidly sinking art market made this an idiotic time to sell art.

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The Rose is an innocent bystander that is being punished for its excellence. Its budget is balanced; it has brought Brandeis nothing but glory and prestige at almost no cost.

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<p>Here’s the NY Times link:
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/arts/design/02rose.html?sq=university&st=cse&scp=3&pagewanted=all[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/arts/design/02rose.html?sq=university&st=cse&scp=3&pagewanted=all&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Of course this is a discussion topic on the cc Brandeis forum. Here’s the link:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brandeis-university/643666-rose-art-museum.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brandeis-university/643666-rose-art-museum.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[pugmadkate]

<p>I agree with the author that Brandeis is making a stark statement of their priorites. Their priority is to keep as high levels as possible of staff, professors and financial aid. </p>

<p>Brandeis is not an art institute. Nor is it out in the middle of nowhere. Boston is a short distance away. Yes, art is dispensable when a colleges very existence is threatened due to the worst economy since the 1920s. </p>

<p>I do not have much patience for the cries of “there must be another way” from people who have no specifics. The attitude seems to be that it would be better for Brandeis to go down with the Rose collection intact. I’ve seen too many good organizations cease to exsist because no one would make the hard decisions. I admire Brandeis for taking action, no matter how unpopular.</p>

[mini]

<p>They should thank their lucky charms that they have art to sell (if they can find buyers…)</p>

[artmommy77]

<p>The point of this article is that the Museum carried its own weight. It had to pay 15% of each donation or sale to the University to pay for the upkeep and lights. It had a separate board and chairman. They were never even consulted. Over 80% of these art pieces were donated. This will have a chilling effect on any donation to other universities and colleges. If the colleges see their art as money, the donations will stop all over. Believe me the art and university communities are watching.</p>

[nemom]

<p>I have a very mixed reaction. The Rose is nice, but very underattended, and therefore , in hard times, seems like a good source for needed cash. But much of the work was donated ,with the assumption that it would stay at Brandeis - I cannot imagine that donors won’t be very unhappy which could certainly affect future donations.
Brandeis is now reconsidering as well.</p>

[pugmadkate]

<p>Who is saying that the museum didn’t carry its own weight? That’s a strawman. </p>

<p>Of course the art and university communities are watching. And that provides real help or an alternative solution in what way? I was a fine arts major and have been a lifelong supporter of the arts. I was well aware of the pride that some in this communities take in refusing to deal with financial realities. </p>

<p>The donors can be as unhappy as they want. However, if Brandeis saves the Rose and makes the cuts to professors and finanical aid instead, they will find their number of applications taking a nose dive. I’m not paying to send my kid to a university that is willing to sacrafice education over donor relations. Nor is this an art institute.</p>

<p>I truly believe that most who want to save the Rose have the best of intentions and are open to reason. However, there is a small but vocal minority that is willing to refuse to deal with reality upto the point of endangering the university itself. I’ve seen supporters love institutions to death before. I recognize the rhetoric.</p>

[bela]

<p>Yes, it is a matter of priorities. It seems like at least half of the colleges we visited had brand new athletic centers, science centers, and the like. I would have been more impressed with an art museum.</p>