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.