DIA Photographs

We visited the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) this morning and got some shots. What a cultural gem this is. We plan on visiting and photographing what we can while there’s still time.

Check the photographs out here: http://stefanstudios84.wordpress.com/the-detroit-institute-of-arts/

 

DIA Deathwatch

The next step in liquidating the Detroit Institute of Arts collection was taken last week when a group of Detroit banks, bond holders and the AFSCME union filed a motion to allow independent evaluation of the collection. They stated that Kevin Orr is not acting “aggressively enough to monetize the art”. The collection is supposedly worth billions of dollars.

Back in August I posted the following on this blog.

Recently a tri-county (Oakland, Macomb and Wayne) millage was passed to keep the DIA open. That will be invalidated if the artwork is sold, wiping out $23 million in operating funds which would probably force an immediate closure. Here are a couple of quotes. The first is from L. Brooks Patterson, the Oakland County Executive:
“If Kevin Orr (Emergency Financial Manager) moves in any way to reduce the quality of the DIA’s collection, I can absolutely guarantee we will go to court to seek suspension of that tax, which was imposed to support the museum as presently constituted. We are not going to pay once some of the finest works are sold.”

The second quote is from Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel:
“Why would we continue a millage for something that no longer exists?”

We’re witnessing cultural bankruptcy and sadly, the DIA is under a real deathwatch. Get to the DIA soon, before it inevitably closes and the art is auctioned off.  

Check out the DIA here: http://www.dia.org

DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) Appraisal

Here’s a story that I hope doesn’t play out the way it’s trending. The first step in liquidating the Detroit Institute of Arts assets was taken by Detroit’s Emergency Financial Manager by hiring Christie’s Appraisals. Christie’s will appraise “a portion” of the DIA’s art collection and will “assist and advise” how to derive value from the 60,000 piece collection.

Recently a tri-county (Oakland, Macomb and Wayne) millage was passed to keep the DIA open. That will be invalidated if the artwork is sold, wiping out $23 million in operating funds which would probably force an immediate closure. Here are a couple of quotes. The first is from L. Brooks Patterson, the Oakland County Executive:
“If Kevin Orr (Emergency Financial Manager) moves in any way to reduce the quality of the DIA’s collection, I can absolutely guarantee we will go to court to seek suspension of that tax, which was imposed to support the museum as presently constituted. We are not going to pay once some of the finest works are sold.”

The second quote is from Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel:
“Why would we continue a millage for something that no longer exists?”

I see the end coming to the DIA. As of August 6th, Detroit Police and Fire Department lieutenants and sergeants took a ten percent pay cut including cuts in overtime and other pay. What does the average Detroiter want? Police and fire protection or to occasionally look at art? The former, I suspect.
I hope I’m wrong about the DIA, but it seems to be just another indicator of cultural decline.

Bankrupt Detroit

The City of Detroit declared bankruptcy yesterday, the largest municipality in United States history to do so.

Here is a tiny subset of issues that precipitated the filing:

• Detroit has 100,000 creditors
• Detroit has at least 18 billion dollars in accrued obligations
• Detroit experienced a 63% decline from a peak of 1.8 million residents to the current 706,585. To put this in perspective, Detroit has a smaller population than Columbus, Ohio or Austin, Texas.
• Detroit hosts 78,000 abandoned structures.
• More than half of Detroit’s 305,000 properties did not pay their tax bills (2011 statistic)

On the city services level, which directly affects people, Detroiters experience:

• an average police response time of 58 minutes compared to a national average of 11 minutes.
• 8.7% of crimes are solved in Detroit compared to 35.5% statewide. Commit a crime in Detroit and there’s a 91.3% chance you won’t get caught. CRIME PAYS IN DETROIT.
• 40% of Detroit’s street lights don’t work.
• 33% of city ambulances are functional. That’s one out of three.

On the brighter side, the small core of downtown Detroit, emanating from the Renaissance Center is beginning to thrive. Buildings are being purchased, restored and populated with automotive, medical and financial white collar workers. This has little to do with the average citizen of Detroit, with 36% of the population at or below the poverty line and with a 47% literacy rate.

The citizens of Detroit need and deserve the most basic of civil services, those being adequate and reliable:

• police protection and response time
• fire protection and response time
• street lighting
• garbage collection

With the bankruptcy filing these much needed resources can be prioritized and improved. Detroit can move forward from there. As for me, I want to visit the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) before the 60,000 paintings, sculptures and other works of art potentially sold off (the Emergency Financial Manager ordered them appraised). More on this later.