The Justice

The most ardent Rose Art Museum cut protestors would have you buy into an image of the Rose bulldozed into dust and its collection in the hands of shady, nefarious private collectors. Though this may have been accurate at the outset, it isn't any longer.

While even a quick glance at the Rose situation's coverage in the national press might be enough to murder the hope that our reputation may yet be repaired, there remain some options that could tilt the scales in our favor.

University President Jehuda Reinharz just needs to be honest about the Board of Trustees' original plan and the degree to which the outcry from both the school community and the public affected their subsequent decisions about the Rose. He needs to push the Rose's new function as an educational institute, signifying the University's continued commitment to the arts and silencing critics who claim the school is forsaking its academic purpose.

The sale of the collection is the more dangerous ground by far, but people need to realize that there are more ways to disperse the museum's assets than selling them to private collectors, never to be seen again. What the University has is a chance to undo some of the damage done by the initial wave of bad press.

While there is a temptation to sell to the highest bidder, the school should sell to a small group of reputable donors under a specific set of conditions. At only 30 to 40 pieces, the number of works sold would be small enough to be kept on display as the Rose Art Museum collection, thereby preserving the collection's Brandeis legacy and connection with the school.

Ideally, the collection could be sold to another Boston-area university and displayed as the Rose Art Collection at Tufts or Harvard where it would remain available as an academic resource and set an example for solidarity and collaboration between universities, something that should be done for the symbolism alone, if not the financial benefit.

Continued...

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