The Rose Art Museum Will Remain Open

Brandeis University Delays Decision to Close Museum and Sell its Collection

By: Charles Giuliano - Apr 18, 2009

This Warhol portrait of Justice Brandeis is among the works in the collection of the Rose Art Museum.

Michael Rush will not continue as the Rose director even though the museum will remain open. Giuliano photo.

The Rose paid just four figures for this Lichtstein in the 1960s which is now worth millions.

The Rose Art Museum controversy has resulted in serious damage to the reputation of Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz.

 

   It appears that I may set foot on the campus of Brandeis University after all. In prior coverage in Berkshire Fine Arts, as an alumnus, Class of 1963, I vowed to sever all ties when the university announced plans to close the Rose Art Museum and sell its collection to cover the dramatic downturn of the endowment. It seemed at the time that there were  few options to offset mounting debt as many of the university benefactors had been victims of the Ponzi scam of Bernard Madoff.

       There was a firestorm of protest and bad media following this ill advised and unprecedented decision. There have been calls for the resignation of Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz. Many alumni and patrons have severed ties and there were dire long term consequences.

          Not that Brandeis and the Rose are not now out of the woods. Far from it. In this economy there will continue to be cuts and tough decisions. But, in response to widespread appeals, the university is opting to end the bad publicity. The Rose will remain open and the collection will not be sold. A committe is continuing to study the final agenda for the museum and its collection. A memo from the university is posted below.

An Update (Tuesday, April 21): Michael Rush, the director of the Rose Art Museum, who has not been invited to remain made this statement to a reporter. "They're talking about keeping the Rose open," Rush said. "But there's no director, no curator, no education director, no funding stream and no program."

An Update (Thursday, April 23) Art Net Reports that the latest moves by the University are a Charade. That donations to the museum have dried up representing an annual loss of some $2.5 million.

An Update (Friday, April 24). In a Boston Globe report it appears that the latest developments are a "sham" on the part of the university and an attempt to calm public outcry at least until the Fall.
Link to Globe coverage.

Dear Brandeis Community,

   In order to allow its members sufficient time for careful exploration, analysis, and deliberation, the Committee for the Future of the Rose requested that I clarify the plans the University has made for staffing and programming at the Rose following June 30, 2009.  While the University awaits the Committee's recommendations regarding the Rose Art Museum, important steps will be taken to ensure that the collection is cared for properly and professionally and that the operations of the Museum are maintained.

   To this end, four of the six current staff at the Rose Art Museum were offered continued employment by the University.  I am pleased that Roy Dawes will assume the position of Director of Museum Operations.  Valerie Wright will assume the position of Collections Manager, and Karina Sheerin will continue as Director for Financial Control, Budgeting, and Analysis at the Rose. The staff will also supervise undergraduate internships at the Rose during the academic year.

   The current exhibitions at the Rose have been extended and will remain open through May 17. Following a brief period in which the exhibitions are de-installed, the Rose will exhibit works from the Permanent Collection when it reopens to the public on July 22, 2009.   The Rose summer hours will be announced soon, but consistent with our past practice, summer hours will be more limited than they are during the academic year. These plans are intended to ensure continuity until such time as the Committee submits its final report and action is taken on its recommendations.

   These plans were formulated in consultation with the Committee for the Future of the Rose to provide the necessary context in which its deliberations and recommendations can proceed.  I have confidence that this Committee, with its broad representation from important constituencies, will offer creative and informed recommendations to th e University about the future cultural and academic roles that the Rose can fulfill.  This announcement affirms the University's commitment that the Rose Art Museum will remain a museum open to the public with professionally trained staff.