Save the Art - Save the Museum

SEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY - On July 12, 2017, seven years ago, the community learned of the Berkshire Museum's intent to sell its most valuable art in a plan to fund their “New Vision.” At the time, 40 works of art, including two iconic Norman Rockwell paintings given by the artist to the Berkshire community, had already been removed from the Museum and consigned to Sothebys. The fact is, selling the Berkshire Museum’s most valuable art was a long-standing plan, in process well before a contract with Sotheby’s was signed.

The plan to sell the art was not revealed to the community until the art had already been removed from the Museum’s premises. This decision, made without the community’s prior knowledge, prompted immediate outcry and triggered widespread coverage in national and international publications. Hundreds of letters to the editor and extensive features in the local Berkshire Eagle followed.

Selling cherished and valuable art was in itself controversial. Using the sale proceeds for anything but direct care of the art challenged long-standing professional ethical practices, and was widely condemned by professional associations. Anita Walker, then director of the Mass Cultural Council criticized the sale and declared it a violation of the public trust. An analysis by Stephen Sheppard, renowned economist of Williams College, examined the Museum’s claims of “structural deficit”, suggested they were exaggerated, and proposed other options. Multiple lawsuits undertaken by members of the community ultimately reached the state’s Supreme Court. Despite an extensive report by Maura Healey’s Massachusetts Attorney General’s office and generous offers for economic assistance to pause the sale, the art was ordered to be sold.

Director Van Shields, who crafted the plan, was replaced by Jeff Rogers, who left after just two years. Board attrition has also been notable – only two remain from that time period. Now, seven years later, the Museum announced scaled back renovations funded by the proceeds, and the facts of how this happened are being continuously revised. The lack of both financial transparency and diverse community engagement continue to this day.

Save-the-Art (STA), an ad-hoc citizens group, is long recognized in the Berkshires and beyond for its community advocacy and widely publicized protests outside the Museum and Sotheby’s. The Berkshire Museum’s recent publicity heralding its “third phase” of renovations, coinciding with the 7-year anniversary of the public announcement to sell the art, provides an ideal opportunity to remember what was lost – valuable art and the public’s trust – while recalling how it came to be.

• FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY – The $5.5 million spent to date to address the museum’s infrastructure repairs is covered many times over by the @ $53 million raised by the sale. The recent announcement does not include the budget for upcoming aquarium renovation costs, current balance from art sale proceeds, or plans for use of the remaining funds. A report detailing this information is required by the AG but has not been filed publicly.

• PUBLIC TRUST – Accountability and diverse community input are critical to restoring trust in the Berkshire Museum. The Museum has an opportunity to accomplish this by inviting voices from throughout the community to be heard and in the process, help shape the future.

• DEACCESSION – Professional museum associations temporarily relaxed deaccession rules during the pandemic to support institutions through the resulting financial hardships. The Berkshire Museum’s auctions preceded this time, yet this temporary change in guidelines has been used to retroactively justify the Museum’s actions.

The Save-the-Art website, savetheart.net, maintains an extensive archive of articles, documentation and related content. It outlines the sequence of events that led to the Berkshire Museum’s art collection sale. The website shares facts, personal stories, articles, timelines and reflects the voices of the community and the wider public. It exists for future generations to learn from, and provides a resource to support financially challenged institutions whose art collections may face threat of liquidation now or in the future.

Photo: Sotheby's

AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS
1848 - 1907
Diana of the Tower *
inscribed Augustus-Saint-Gaudens/Copyright-by/A St
Gaudens/1899
bronze
height: 26 ¾ inches (67.9 cm) on a 2 ¼ inch (5.7 cm)
marble base

PROVENANCE
Louise Crane, New York
Gift to the present owner from the above, 1994
LITERATURE
John H. Dryfhout, The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens,
Hanover, New Hampshire, 1982, p. 210

$ 250,000-350,000

* "Diana of the Tower" did not sell and was returned to the Berkshire Museum.

https://savetheart.net/

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/lawsuit-seeking-to-stop-deaccessioning-6593502/

Lawsuit Seeking to Stop Deaccessioning of Paintings at Valparaiso is Dismissed | JD Supra A trial court in Indiana recently dismissed a lawsuit challenging the proposed sale of three works of art by Valparaiso University: Rust Red Hills by...

In Solidarity

https://www.artisacoreresource.com/?fbclid=IwAR1IDzUiqTi8qV1MWUmfmkzudBjWPjcFIQasl_rf2YfSZTr3pdi6Caj74wg

Sign The Petition — Art Is A Core Resource The Petition To Valparaiso University President José Padilla and the Board of Directors of the Lutheran University Association, Inc.,We, the undersigned – artists, collectors, donors, art historians, museum professionals, teachers, university faculty, and lovers of art – write in protest at you...

Berkshire museum granted $75,000 A huge step towards keeping culture alive in Berkshire County.

" 'As we continue to see how these funds are being distributed, in many cases both in eyebrow-raising amounts and recipients, we can remain silent no longer,' the letter read.

Hill made similar statements before the council last week, saying Tyer’s decision to award $200,000 in ARPA funds to the Berkshire Museum, 'which just four years ago looted its treasures and netted $53.3 million,' left him speechless."

Pittsfield police officers saw how the city was spending its ARPA money. Now they want a cut The unions representing Pittsfield patrol officers and superior officers are asking city leaders to put a little more than a quarter million dollars of the city's $40.6 million in American

Auctioned at Sothebys in New York in November 2018. Once part of the permanent art collection at the Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Mass. Recently found in 2022 at the Addison Gallery of American Art - Currently featured in “Regarding America: 19th - Century Art from the Permanent Collection” April 23 – July 31, 2022.

George Henry Durrie “Hunter in Winter Wood” 1860 - still showing in its original frame and labeled “Gift of Mrs. W. Murray Crane.”

https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/american-art-n09939/lot.45.html

We were very sad to hear of Grier Horner’s passing. Grier was a great friend of Save the Art. As an artist and long-time resident of Pittsfield, he understood the intrinsic value of the art being sold and the importance of protecting the public trust. He brought so much to our efforts: intelligence, commitment, curiosity, enthusiasm, generosity, and more. He also brought his special skills for friendship and connection. We will miss him.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/berkshire/name/grier-horner-obituary?id=32857427

Photo 1: Family Photo 2: Supreme Judicial Court, Boston 2018

"Deacessioning will be like crack co***ne" - Thomas Cambell warned earlier this year. The sale, a drop in the bucket to the Met's shortfall sets the stage for future sales as the field redefines the definition of "care for the collection" with more sales and use of those funds.

"Christie’s expects the 219 pieces to bring in between $904,600 and $1.4 million collectively, Christie’s confirmed to Forbes, small change compared to The Met’s $150 million shortfall during the last fiscal year."

"When The Met first hinted it would consider deaccessioning parts of its collection in February, the museum’s former director Thomas P. Campbell warned that relying on selling off pieces could harm art museums by characterizing collections as fungible assets, which could disincentive art donations and threaten the tax deductions that encourage museum philanthropy. “Deaccessioning will be like crack co***ne to the addict—a rapid hit that becomes a dependency,” Campbell said in an Instagram post.

While The Met regularly deaccessions parts of its collections to help fund new acquisitions, the proceeds from the auctions starting this month will go toward salaries for staff who care for collections, a move that has been temporarily permitted by the Association of Art Museum Directors until April 2022 to help museums offset pandemic losses."

The Met Will Sell Up To $1.4 Million Worth Of Prints And Photos To Recoup Pandemic Losses The Met is the latest institution to auction parts of its collection to cover a deficit.

"PITTSFIELD — Just weeks after celebrating the reopening of its remodeled second floor, the leader of the Berkshire Museum has departed.
The museum announced Monday morning that Jeff Rodgers left Friday as executive director. The museum’s statement did not explain the reason for Rodgers’s exit, after roughly two and a half years, or what he plans to do next...

The museum fully reopened in August after roughly $3.5 million in renovations, using money from the proceeds of its controversial 2018 sale of art.

This story will be updated."

Jeff Rodgers abruptly leaves the top job at the Berkshire Museum Jeff Rodgers is out as executive director of the Berkshire Museum. His reason for leaving is not clear in a statement from the Pittsfield museum.

Sneak peak.

Berkshire Museum’s newly renovated second floor re-opens The new galleries and exhibitions open to the public Friday.

As we pass the 4th anniversary of the big announcement of the selling of our art, the community hasn’t forgotten.

Letter: A better question for new Berkshire Museum boss To the editor: We read with great interest the interview with Jeff Rodgers ("Executive Spotlight: Jeff Rodgers/Berkshire Museum," Eagle, July 3) the current director of the tarnished Berkshire Museum.