Museum backers seek halt to selloff - The Boston Globe

Museum backers seek halt to selloff - The Boston Globe

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There is something profoundly sad about this. I know times are tough, but art is not expendable. I really don't care if the gallery space is being turned into art classrooms... what good is studying art if you can't even experience it where you study? From the SNL Save Broadway skit to the very real closure of the North Shore Music Theatre here in MA, this economy is literally killing off the arts.

EDIT: 10:20pm.
This reader comment on a related article on the Boston Globe site has me seething... art is not expendable damn it!

"It is an extremely reasonable decision. I applaud the Brandeis executives and board for this unpopular but wise decision. The art museum is not at all central to the mission of the university. It is a chotchke - a toy box of interesting playthings - a collection of dust-gathering luxuries. The school should be given the right to dispose of these assets unless there were condition imposed on the 'gift' and that's the critical word: gift. (How many of you, dear reader, disposed of your recent holiday and birthday presents with returns, exchanges, e-bay posts, or yardsales?) Outside of the Waltham campus community, who even knows that this collection exists? There are numerous colleges and universities with obscure campus museums filled with oftentimes extremely valuable objet d'arts donated or bequeathed by alumnae/alumni. The price of collectible art has skyrocketed to dollar amount that were scarcely imaginable a generation ago. Can you imagine what it costs to insure these pieces? Campuses can't provide the type of security needed to safe-guard multi-million dollar art from professional thieves. These types of assets have always been a store of value for the wealthy, something that could be liquidated or exchanged in times of need. Is it regretable? Of course. But compared to all the other assets Brandeis could sell for a good return without harming its core interest, Brandeis is wise to liquidate all or part of this collection. It will use the funds to pay current obligations, re-fill the rainy day emergency fund, and support its key academic mission - which includes scholarships for the students whose parents have also been financially devastated in this economic climate. Perhaps some of the wealthy donors will buy the pieces back or offer to fund the museum. Egos shouldn't be allowed to get in the way of sustaining the university.