In Opposition to the Closing of the Rose Art Musuem

Target:

The Brandeis University Board of Trustees and Administration

Sponsored by:

**Please note the below petition has been moved to the link below**
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/in-opposition-to-the-closing-of-the-rose-art-museum

This petition has been moved due to the fact that it was a draft, unfinished body of work. In our enthusiasm and rush to create a unified Alumni reaction, there was an accidental publishing of a draft petition.

The Official "In Opposition to the Closing of the Rose Art Museum" Petition, which has the same exact wording can be reached at the below link.

Please click below and sign the petition to show your support.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/in-opposition-to-the-closing-of-the-rose-art-museum

Best,
Save The Rose Art Museum
savetheroseart@gmail.com

The Brandeis University Board of Trustees in a closed meeting and without any community input decided to sell off the University's unique collection of modern art in order to meet a budget shortfall. But there are other ways to do this. The Rose Art Museum must be preserved. --------------- We find unacceptable both the decision to close the Rose Art Museum and the manner in which the process was conducted. While we understand the dire circumstances the University is facing during this economic crisis, we deplore this utter lack of transparency and the auctioning off of Brandeis%u2019 cultural heritage. If the purpose of this sale is to position the University to exit the crisis stronger, we fear that the loss of prestige and morale it entails will have the opposite effect.

Frequent, informative communication builds constituent confidence, and there has been too little of both since the economic downturn began. Giving up the largest collection of modern art in New England belies the fact that the Brandeis community does indeed value the arts. It betrays the University%u2019s very mission and our collective responsibility to preserve this treasure.

As alumni, we cannot in good conscience support an institution that does not trust its constituents enough to keep them informed of such painful undertakings. An e-mail, no matter how regretful in tone, sent after the decision has already been made does little to alleviate our confusion, hurt, and resentment. As your actions in regards to the Rose demonstrate, your concern for the short-term trumps the long. Therefore, the undersigned pledge to withhold our support of Brandeis University until our concerns are addressed and the decision to shut the Rose Art Museum is reversed.

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Hello supporters of the Rose Art Museum,

Due to our enthusiasm and rush to create a unified Alumni reaction, there was an accidental publishing of a draft petition. Sadly, this is the petition you signed.

If you could take less than 5 minutes and navigate to the Official Petition (which has the same wording as the one you signed, minus some misspellings) that would truly be appreciated. We need every signature, so we cannot afford to lose your voice.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/in-opposition-to-the-closing-of-the-rose-art-museum

With sincerest apologies,

Save The Rose Art Museum
savetheroseart@gmail.com

You can do more! Show me more petitions »

We signed the "In Opposition to the Closing of the Rose Art Musuem" petition!

# 324:

1:21 pm PST, Jan 27, Angela Chen, California

# 323:

12:19 pm PST, Jan 27, Pedro Barbeito, New York
Surely there must be another way to finance the university. As a fine arts student at Brandeis, the Rose Art Museum was an indispensable part of my education. This is a great loss to future students.

# 322:

12:11 pm PST, Jan 27, Jason Simon-Bierenbaum, Massachusetts
Our commitment to the arts was what was supposed to set us apart from other top tier universities from our very inception. Cutting the arts is not what the University was founded on or should do in tough times, but we should work together to make sure that the art survives. This is not to say I completely disagree with the University. As awesome as it is to know we have such a great collection of art, masterpieces are not meant to be neatly stored in a basement, as was all too often the case. We should urge the university to reach a compromise. There are pieces that could be sold, or rented at a high rate, instead of all sold and forced to shut down in a time when art is going to be of less value in our economy.

# 321:

12:03 pm PST, Jan 27, Melissa Warak, Washington D.C.

# 320:

12:02 pm PST, Jan 27, Avril Peck, New York

# 319:

12:02 pm PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, Utah

# 318:

12:00 pm PST, Jan 27, Abby Leigh, New York
This is an unethical and cynical decision on Brandeis' part.

# 317:

11:58 am PST, Jan 27, Steven Shamah, New York

# 316:

11:56 am PST, Jan 27, David Taylor, New Mexico

# 315:

11:56 am PST, Jan 27, Robin Chung, California

# 314:

11:55 am PST, Jan 27, Elvis Fuentes, New Jersey
It is disgusting this lack of imagination!

# 313:

11:54 am PST, Jan 27, Amy Schlegel, Massachusetts

# 312:

11:53 am PST, Jan 27, Joanna Davis, Indiana

# 311:

11:50 am PST, Jan 27, Jennifer Watson, Maryland

# 310:

11:49 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, Massachusetts

# 309:

11:49 am PST, Jan 27, Nicole Alper, Pennsylvania

# 308:

11:47 am PST, Jan 27, Yve-Alain Bois, New Jersey
I cannot think of any type of museum more beneficial to mankind than a university museum. The decision to close of the Rose Art Museum, is a tragic sign that America, despite some recent good news on the political side, is steadily abdicating in favor of sheer consumerism and neo-liberal barbarism. In Brandeis, of all places!

# 307:

11:46 am PST, Jan 27, Gautam Gupta, Massachusetts

# 306:

11:46 am PST, Jan 27, Caitlin Legere, New Mexico

# 305:

11:46 am PST, Jan 27, Adam Littleboy, New York

# 304:

11:45 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, Missouri

# 303:

11:45 am PST, Jan 27, Madeline Gent, Virginia
This is a horrible thing... In earlier economic hard times our leaders banded together to support the arts, not destroy them. Brandeis should not want to be known for this.

# 302:

11:45 am PST, Jan 27, Deborah Spivak, California

# 301:

11:42 am PST, Jan 27, Benjamin Wu, Massachusetts

# 300:

11:42 am PST, Jan 27, Albert Sperath, Mississippi
In my museum experience the donor's wishes and intent to give a work of art to a museum is in perpetuity. I would not be surprised to see litigation with regards to your unfortunate decision.

# 299:

11:41 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, California

# 298:

11:40 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, Indiana
It is sad that the arts have been so devalued that they are looked upon primarily as financial assets. This sale will impoversh educational opportunities for students, and contribute to the clearly precarious situation of American university art museums.

# 297:

11:39 am PST, Jan 27, Teil Silverstein, Massachusetts

# 296:

11:38 am PST, Jan 27, William Kaizen, Massachusetts
It would be a tragedy to see the Boston area lose such an important collection of modern and contemporary art, and such a vital exhibition space! William Kaizen Assistant Professor Aesthetics and Critical Studies University of Massachusetts, Lowell

# 295:

11:38 am PST, Jan 27, Thomas Mason, California
Art Museums are an important cornerstone to an arts community. Are these people truly aware of what they are doing to the community by eliminating this instituition.

# 294:

11:36 am PST, Jan 27, Matthew Harris, New York
President Reinharz has charged that it is the responsibility of the university to provide the best possible education for its students. I believe having a community that maintains its commitments to the ARTS and sciences (as it has by building numerous new additions to the science complex), is far more beneficial to the university than the planned new student center.

# 293:

11:35 am PST, Jan 27, Leon Harris, New York

# 292:

11:34 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, California
Please please please rethink this very short term solution and consider the long term benefits of remaining as custodians of this unique collection.

# 291:

11:34 am PST, Jan 27, Dennis McGuire, Illinois

# 290:

11:33 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, Indiana
Bad precedent, bad idea and also bad financially--the art market is down, so this is like dumping stock at its lowest point--makes no sense to sell valuable assets cheap.

# 289:

11:33 am PST, Jan 27, Erin Sullivan, California
Treating art collections and art museums as disposable commodities or potential capital to be auctioned off when times are tough will be the death of great university art museums. These museums and the collections they house should be considered off-limits as sources of revenue to fill budget gaps. The liquidation of a collection does not address the long-term financial problems of such institutions--it only offers a temporary reprieve from addressing systemic problems. Treat donors and alums, past and future, with more respect. Preserve their art museum!

# 288:

11:33 am PST, Jan 27, Heather Ecker, Michigan

# 287:

11:32 am PST, Jan 27, Patricia McRae Baley, Nevada
When the arts go, culture is ruined. Please reconsider this decision.

# 286:

11:30 am PST, Jan 27, STEWART CLEMENTS, Massachusetts

# 285:

11:28 am PST, Jan 27, Elizabeth Aldred, Connecticut

# 284:

11:28 am PST, Jan 27, Yao-Fen You, Michigan

# 283:

11:27 am PST, Jan 27, Suzana Stucka, Massachusetts

# 282:

11:27 am PST, Jan 27, MM Illuminato, New York
Please, we have lost so much and people are struggling to make ends meet. We are all trying to get by, it is time to look for alternatives! Do not take a wonderful public collection and send it in to private hands never to be enjoyed by the students, faculty and visitors to Brandeis again. This collection is a wonderful gift to American culture. Do not become the short-sighted people who take that away.

# 281:

11:25 am PST, Jan 27, Mark Linga, Massachusetts
Hi -- I hope you take the time to sign this petition. The unprecedented action by Brandeis University to sell of the University's collection to meet its budget shortfall and the manner in which this decision was made raises many serious questions. If the budget shortfall for the University is 10 million dollars surely there are other ways to address the fiscal challenges being faced rather than gutting one of the most important art collections in the country. The selling off of the collection and the closure of the Rose Art Museum is short-sighted, ethically questionable, and ultimately will reflect poorly upon Brandeis' reputation.

# 280:

11:24 am PST, Jan 27, Kathryn Tuma, Maryland

# 279:

11:21 am PST, Jan 27, Sharon Atkins, New Hampshire

# 278:

11:18 am PST, Jan 27, Rachel Lafo, Massachusetts
The closing of the Rose Art Museum would be an egregious misuse of the public trust and a significant loss to the art community. Brandeis has made an unfortunate decision that will negatively impact their art and art history programs and their reputation.

# 277:

11:18 am PST, Jan 27, Robert Cozzolino, Pennsylvania

# 276:

11:17 am PST, Jan 27, Kara Jefts, New York
By closing the Rose Art Museum, the President and Board of Brandeis University are making a statement that art is if of no more value than it's monetary worth. The people who made this decision find art to be a luxury rather than an essential element of human nature and history. I am aghast at what little foresight the group who have made this decision have. I hope this decision can be reversed before the University community and the regional communities are robbed of the culture that artists, educators and donors alike have worked so hard to create. As a student, an artist and an art historian I feel deeply, deeply ashamed.

# 275:

11:17 am PST, Jan 27, Kate Bonansinga, Texas
Access to a stellar collection such as that of the Rose Art Museum is an instrumental part of a liberal arts education. Keep it together!

# 274:

11:17 am PST, Jan 27, Aron Skversky, Israel

# 273:

11:15 am PST, Jan 27, Andrew Walker, Missouri

# 272:

11:12 am PST, Jan 27, JULIE CHAE, New York

# 271:

11:10 am PST, Jan 27, Emily Silbergeld, New Jersey

# 269:

11:08 am PST, Jan 27, Ari Mahller, California

# 270:

11:08 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, Massachusetts

# 268:

11:05 am PST, Jan 27, Jay Heuman, Utah
As Curator of Exhibitions at a contemporary art center, I am appaled that Brandeis, an esteemed institution, would recklessly close the Rose Art Museum and sell its world-class art collection. Perhaps these challenging economic times NEED more art and less pure and applied science, NEED more art and less economic theory, NEED more art and less political science? A lot of good those have gotten us: environmental damage and nuclear war; depressions and recessions; and corrupt hierachies of control. Art remains a civilizing factor in society ... except, I suppose, at Brandeis?

# 267:

11:04 am PST, Jan 27, Karen Chase, Massachusetts
I got married at the Rose Museum. My ex-mother-in-law was chairman of the museum at the time. It is official, everywhere we had an event is now closed! (We are now divorced, too.) I'm sorry to see it is closing. The museum is/was beautiful.

# 264:

11:01 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, California

# 266:

11:00 am PST, Jan 27, Patrick Raymond, New York
Shocked there can't be other ways for my alma mater to raise money. Disgusted.

# 265:

10:59 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, New York

# 263:

10:58 am PST, Jan 27, Linda Sweet, Connecticut

# 262:

10:56 am PST, Jan 27, Frank Gohlke, Arizona
This is exactly the wrong direction for Brandeis University to be taking: wrong for the Boston art community, wrong for the University's reputation as a center for liberal learning, wrong for the current and future students of Brandeis, and a disservice to the distinguished history of the Rose and all the artists who have shown there. Please find some way to avoid this fateful step. Once done, it will be hard to reverse; and though I am no Nostradamus, I predict the institution as a whole will regret the decision.

# 261:

10:55 am PST, Jan 27, Rebecca Uchill, Massachusetts
As a curator and the daughter of two Brandeis alumni, I find this move completely shocking. As Michael Conforti, president of the American Association of Museum Directors, stated in today's Wall Street Journal (speaking in relation to the National Academy's sale of two paintings), "These objects are there for the collective cultural patrimony of the people.... They are not fungible assets." The same can surely be said in relation to the Rose Art Museum and collection. Brandeis University's decision to edit its museum program and holdings out of its program, in order to build funds for the endowment, raises serious concern over the priorities and strategies of the school administration. Surely there is another solution that does not put at stake such an important University asset. Yours, Rebecca Uchill

# 260:

10:54 am PST, Jan 27, Heather Cox, New York

# 259:

10:54 am PST, Jan 27, Mark Sloan, South Carolina
This decision endangers ALL art museums by devaluing the primacy of the arts in a liberal arts education, which, in turn devalues it for all humanity. It appears the Brandeis Trustees are showing their true colors. I cannot imagine how the university will survive once word gets out that they have betrayed their own donors, faculty, students, and community. They are ostracized in my book, and I plan to spread the word far and wide. I don't think this was the effect they hoped to achieve.

# 258:

10:53 am PST, Jan 27, Alexa Bolanos, New York

# 257:

10:53 am PST, Jan 27, Lance Gould, Massachusetts
Trustees and President Reinhard: Please reconsider your short-sighted decision to shut down the Rose. And please consider other options to save it, such as a fund-raising drive.

# 256:

10:52 am PST, Jan 27, Name not displayed, Massachusetts

# 255:

10:47 am PST, Jan 27, Melinda Lopez, Massachusetts
For more impact, add a personal comment here

# 254:

10:47 am PST, Jan 27, August Ventimiglia, Massachusetts
What a blow to Brandeis and the greater public! I am shocked. The board of directors (B. Univ.) obviously does not value the arts as much as we all thought and has made short change out of one of the most valuable venues for contemporary art in New England. It is indicative of the age old short-sighted uninformed mentality that the arts are somehow secondary to higher education and therefor expendable. Truly shocked.

# 253:

10:43 am PST, Jan 27, Sheila Brennan, Virginia

# 251:

10:42 am PST, Jan 27, Nora Hussey, Massachusetts
This is an appalling message to send to the world at large. Art should never be the first sacrifice in an economic downturn. Our souls and spirits still need nurturing.

# 252:

10:41 am PST, Jan 27, Kim Beck, Pennsylvania
Selling the unique collection is a short term solution that will only devalue the university -- cashing in on the art program, always the least well funded of all areas on university campuses, impoverishes the entire community. In selling of the heart of the university, the Board will rob students of the opportunity to understand art and culture first hand. I am outraged that the Board would commit such an act against its students and greater public.

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