Arts Will the Plunder of University Museums Come to the Northwest?
posted by on November 19 at 15:43 PM
Today’s Inside Higher Education has a piece about the University of Oregon’s controversial decision this summer to make the university museum answer to the university fundraising department. The logic? Unclear.
But in light of several attempts lately by universities to sell off artworks to pay for financial deficits in non-art departments, the U of O’s decision has professors in an uproar.
More broadly, the shift in structure underscores a question that’s been raised as a number of college leaders have raided their art museums to raise funds in recent years: To what degree is a college art museum considered central to an academic mission, and to what extent is it seen primarily as a financial asset?
The U of O’s University Senate has submitted a request to the provost that the provost’s office resume control of the museum once a permanent executive director is hired. (An interim director is at the reins now.) Let’s hope that happens.
I am really surprised that it has taken so long for something like this to happen. Let's hope the University of Oregon Senate wins this bout and nips a potential trend in the bud.
this makes me so growly that i have to keep avoiding this post!
disgusting....the only people that want this to go through are rich ocd private collectors that want to horde these things away in a wharhouse or private room...never to be seen
the whole concept of a university was as a center of knowledge and discovery...not the degree factory.drinking ritual industry it is now with little concern of higher learning and discovery and more emphases of funneling as much tuition money and extending adolescence
luckily, west coast universities have shit for art collections.
inside Meany Hall, UW has about 3 good NW school paintings & a pointless Chihuly.
"shit for art collections?" Have you ever been to the JSMA? Outside of Harvard's Freer Museum, we have arguably the best collection of Asian art in a college museum in the country. I don't know about UW, but the U of O has a good museum which was recently renovated and is/was in good position to be a great resource for the art history department. Andy Schulz (the professor quoted in the article) is one of my thesis advisors and has recently started a fantastic class called "Inside The Museum" for undergraduates considering the curatorial world. With these developments, I wonder how successful programs like his will be. Know your information before spewing tripe all over the internet...
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