Rendering on Painting №4

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Massachusetts-museum-merger-draws-fire-from-art-community/29125

The article was published on the website theartnewspaper.com on March 22, 2013. The article reports about the decision to close a major arms and armour museum in Massachusetts.

The article touches upon the fact that the move was prompted by the institution's financial difficulties. Firstly, the institution has not been able to sustain its endowment. Higgins's biggest challenge was the lack of a deep endowment. Secondly, Robert Flynn Johnson, the curator emeritus at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco said that the Higgins wasn't dying, it was being killed by mismanagement and neglect. Thirdly, the next logical step would have been for the Worcester Art Museum to assume management of the Higgins while maintaining the collection in the armory building. Also the Maine-based artist DeWitt Hardy backed calls for the collection to remain in the Higgins.

Moreover, James Donnelly, the chair of the Higgins's board of trustees, defended the integration initiative. In addition to, the Higgins Armory was founded by the Worcester industrialist John Woodman Higgins in 1929. The museum drew around 58,000 visitors annually.

The author reports that 1,600 objects will go on display at the Worcester Art Museum, initially in a temporary display venue and then in a purpose built space alongside a selection of Renaissance tapestries from 2015.

The author comes to the conclusion that these objects are simply not important enough to justify keeping in the collection. This deaccessioning has been peer reviewed by colleagues from other institutions.

To my mind, this museum plays an important part of the USA. It has a lot of historical exhibits which tell people about their history. But I think people of any country must remember their past.