Friends and colleagues,
Word was received yesterday that the non-profit Randolph-Macon Woman's
College (RMWC) alumnae group Preserve Educational Choice (PEC) has lost
both its appeals to The Virginia Supreme Court. One, commonly referred
to as the "charitable trust" appeal, may have held out the hope of
protecting the whole art collection at the school's Maier Museum of
Art. Today's newspaper reports say that there were no dissenting
justices on that particular appeal. For current coverage, see
www.newsadvance.com (the Lynchburg newspaper). There is also a story in
Saturday's Washington Post (Jerry Markon, "Va. Supreme Court Dismisses
Suit").
PEC released an up-date last night (for press releases and other
information see www.preserveeducationalchoice.org). This did not
address PEC's position vis a vis the nonsuited (e.g. suspended)
litigation concerning the four paintings removed from the Maier Museum
of Art October 1, 2007 to be sold for the benefit of the college's
operating endowment. One of those paintings, Rufino Tamayo's
"Troubadour,"was in fact sold at auction on May 28 (setting a world
auction record for Latin American art). PEC's further actions with
regard to protecting the remaining three paintings taken from the Maier
must now be decided upon. A group of plaintiffs students, alumnae,
former faculty and staff of RMWC, Maier donors and volunteers have been
working with PEC since late summer to protect the art collection. As
soon as I know more about ther plans I will pass information along.
For those of you who may not be aware of the details or scope of the
Maier Museum of Art situation, a quick Google search will turn up many
citations in national print and broadcast archives, including NPR and
the New York Times. A good place to start is Eve Conant's "A Shot
through the Art," in Newsweek, for the week of October 15, 2007, and
Stephanie Cash's "Stealth Moves at Randolph College" in the December
2007 issue of Art in America. Also of interest in setting the context
is Neely Tucker's "A Small College, Painted into a Corner," Washington
Post, September 19, 2007.
Throughout this agonizing process organizations such as ACUMG have been
an invaluable source of advice and comradeship to many of us. See the
ACUMG web site for its October 2007 statement condemning Randolph
College's course of action. Organizations such as CAA, AAMD and AAMC,
SEMC, and the Virginia Association of Museums have all made strong
public comments as well. Many people, concerned citizens as well as
public officials, have appealed to the Virginia Attorney General for
his help in preventing the loss of these masterpieces to the citizens
of Central Virginia. The topic, sadly familiar to many of us from the
Fisk University and Philadelphia's Eakins controversies, has been
addressed at panels at this year's CAA and AAM conferences.
Thank you for your continuing expressions of support and concern. They
are very much appreciated.
best,
Karol
former director of the Maier Museum of Art
Karol Lawson
3601 Surrey Lane
Lynchburg, Virginia 24503
434-386-0458
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