Rapid Eye Movement: A Day for Detroit; Protecting the DIA's Collection for Future Generations

Today we are celebrating the vast and important collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Art critic Tyler Green has organized, "A Day for Detroit," urging dozens of art related websites and blogs to highlight pieces of art from the museums collection in order to garner support for the museum, as it faces the possible sale of its assets (art). Assets that could disappear from the public eye if they were to be sold off to private collectors and institutions outside of the Detroit area.

The recent bankruptcy filing by the city of Detroit has created a possible scenario whereby the Detroit Institute of Art's world-class collection would be liquidated, in order to alleviate some of Detroit's insurmountable dept. Emergency Manager Kevin Orr has hired Christies Auction House to appraise the collection at a cost of $200,000 dollars. Although Kevin Orr claims there are no concrete plans to sell parts of the collection at the moment, the arrival of Christies shows a serious commitment on the part of Orr to explore possibilities that would justify such a drastic measure.

The DIA has issued a statement that clearly positions them in direct opposition to the idea of a sell off... "There is no reason to value the collection as the Attorney General has made it clear that the art is held in charitable trust and cannot be sold as part of a bankruptcy proceeding. We applaud the Emergency Managers focus on rebuilding the city, but would point out that he undercuts that core goal by jeopardizing Detroit's most important cultural institution." They go on to say, "any forced sale of art would precipitate the rapid demise of the DIA. The DIA has long been doing business without city of Detroit operating support; any move that compromises its financial stability will endanger the museum and further challenge the City's future."

Besides the obvious cultural ramifications of losing the collection, there are economic fall-outs that could have a devastating effect for the future of Detroit. Art blogger Sharon Butler of Two Coats of Paint, recently interviewed economics professor Stephen Sheppard from Williams College, who co-authored a paper published in Creative Communities:Art Works in Economic Development. Released in 2013, the book consists of a series of papers on economic development as it relates to the arts and its effect on the financial well being of communities. Sheppard says, "The DIA has a budget of about $57 million and brings in about 400,00 visitors per year. We'll be very conservative and assume that only 35% of the visitors come from outside Wayne County (where Detroit is) and only give them credit for the local spending of outside visitors. Putting those figures into our web application produces an estimate that the DIA contributes $103,631,976 each year to the local economy, and directly or or indirectly supports 877 jobs in the city."

Also, what can not be underestimated in terms of a Museums collection, is the cultural worth that is represented in valuable works of art. Permanent collections not only are important to the public at large but they provide an "inspirational lineage" that consistently fuels creative growth within artistic communities all over the world.

What follows are a few pieces from the museums collection that inspire, motivate and expand my growth as an artist and a person.