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OP-ED: Essence of art is in the human spirit, not money
by James Lansing
Rose Reactions | 2/3/09
Posted online at 9:52 PM EST on 2/2/09
/ Last updated at 4:35 AM EST on 2/2/09
The decision by the administrative powers at Brandeis to covertly decide to close the Rose Art Museum is a typical institutional reaction to tough economic times. Educational leaders have never learned their lessons in regard to the connection between the arts and education: namely, that the impact of the arts can't be measured, placed as a line item on a budget sheet or manipulated for economic gain. The first things educational institutions jettison are the arts, but "the arts" should always be the last thing.
When will these supposed educational leaders learn that the arts are not a luxury but a necessity for human experience; they are the human experience. Art speaks to individual souls in a different language. The arts give a haven for those who need to see and feel that others have shared the same emotions and have traversed the same issues. Art connects on a universal level; it does not have a bottom line.
Has anyone found a way to measure the impact of the arts on the human spirit? Why not just close the library? Why not just shut down the music program? To close the museum is not just wrong, it is dehumanizing. It places the blood and sweat of the human spirit up for sale. It is the typical lockstep educational reaction; however, it should not come as a surprise to anyone associated with education and the arts. This is a battle that many of us in the education and arts communities think we have won, but when as prestigious a university as Brandeis is willing to take this step, it is not only an example of how far we have fallen but of how low a level we have actually reached in the first place.
I do support the idea that Brandeis may need to sell certain items to support educational needs in other areas. Nevertheless, there must be a University accounting in this matter, and the gallery director needs to be a vocal member in these proceedings. The numbers need to be made public, and these discussions and decisions must include the staff and students of the Brandeis community.
The staff and students at Brandeis need to take immediate action in this matter. The University trustees do not own the museum and the works. This may be a private University, but the museum's collection belongs to the community, and the art collection was donated with the understanding that it would be used to further goals associated with the University. Sure, the gift agreement may say that the University has final say over the works, but donors do not expect their gifts to be sold to pay bills. If that were the case, they would just sell them themselves. If a decision were made to close our museums and sell the works, the Nantucket community would revolt.
Like the trustees at Brandeis, I have been granted the opportunity and trust to guard Nantucket's heritage and history as a curator. The board of directors and I do not own the works in our collection. No steps would ever be taken without our community's comment that would alter the fabric of the collection under our care. The Brandeis administration could have been open about the school's finances, and they would have had the input of their community. Instead, they decided that they had the power to make this major, campus-altering decision on their own. They are wrong.
The writer is the curator of the Egan Maritime Institute in Nantucket, Mass.
When will these supposed educational leaders learn that the arts are not a luxury but a necessity for human experience; they are the human experience. Art speaks to individual souls in a different language. The arts give a haven for those who need to see and feel that others have shared the same emotions and have traversed the same issues. Art connects on a universal level; it does not have a bottom line.
Has anyone found a way to measure the impact of the arts on the human spirit? Why not just close the library? Why not just shut down the music program? To close the museum is not just wrong, it is dehumanizing. It places the blood and sweat of the human spirit up for sale. It is the typical lockstep educational reaction; however, it should not come as a surprise to anyone associated with education and the arts. This is a battle that many of us in the education and arts communities think we have won, but when as prestigious a university as Brandeis is willing to take this step, it is not only an example of how far we have fallen but of how low a level we have actually reached in the first place.
I do support the idea that Brandeis may need to sell certain items to support educational needs in other areas. Nevertheless, there must be a University accounting in this matter, and the gallery director needs to be a vocal member in these proceedings. The numbers need to be made public, and these discussions and decisions must include the staff and students of the Brandeis community.
The staff and students at Brandeis need to take immediate action in this matter. The University trustees do not own the museum and the works. This may be a private University, but the museum's collection belongs to the community, and the art collection was donated with the understanding that it would be used to further goals associated with the University. Sure, the gift agreement may say that the University has final say over the works, but donors do not expect their gifts to be sold to pay bills. If that were the case, they would just sell them themselves. If a decision were made to close our museums and sell the works, the Nantucket community would revolt.
Like the trustees at Brandeis, I have been granted the opportunity and trust to guard Nantucket's heritage and history as a curator. The board of directors and I do not own the works in our collection. No steps would ever be taken without our community's comment that would alter the fabric of the collection under our care. The Brandeis administration could have been open about the school's finances, and they would have had the input of their community. Instead, they decided that they had the power to make this major, campus-altering decision on their own. They are wrong.
The writer is the curator of the Egan Maritime Institute in Nantucket, Mass.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Ajaa
posted 2/04/09 @ 2:33 PM EST
Excellent article!
Bekah
posted 2/04/09 @ 11:36 PM EST
Music and literature are priceless gifts to the human spirit, but in this case, not worth as much money. There is room to be upset about this decision, but I am frustrated at the constant outpouring of condemnation yet complete lack of (reasonable) suggestions for solving the crisis a different way. (Continued…)
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