My colleague George Hostetter has an update in Thursday's Bee on the precarious status of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. The news isn't good. A couple of key points from his story:
- The museum could close within the first 10 days of January, according to its financial-crisis lawyer, Riley Walter.
- It owes $5.6 million, much of it to local businesses that did work on museum's three-year renovation or provided services for the reopening.
- Donations and grants in 2009 were down nearly 25% from 2008.
- The museum plans to sell its art collection, valued at $2.1 million in 2007, to pay off creditors.
- Walter, the financial-crisis lawyer, said his law firm is owed at least $100,000. He said museum officials have set aside two photographs by Ansel Adams and several posters signed by the famed photographer. When the museum closes, Walter said, these will be sold and the proceeds applied to his bill.
Things look like they could get pretty messy. We'll continue to follow this story for you.
MAYBE THEY SHOULD CALL IT THE DEBTROPLITAN MUSEUM.
ha!
Ok... So where are the citizens pooling together to figure out SOME way to do something about this?
An entire city sends a letter campaign asking for help from celebrities... maybe a benefit concert... or a nationwide donations drive...
How about... "So Fresno's got a bad rap. Help us keep trying to make our hometown better by supporting our efforts to keep our cultural resources afloat!" ?
No? Fresno? Anybody?
Who has contacts who might help us find influental folks to take up the cause? No? Not worth the time or effort?
It's just heartbreaking.
It is soooo time to shut this thing down.
This embarrassing pooch screwing has been said and done for quite some time, folks need to wake up and find a NEW one.
Sell off what can be sold to pay back the people who actually worked on it (so) they'll get paid,
Pay back the city (partly) what's owed so it's (less) in debt,
-and maybe somebody should really REALLY think about what the hell is a priority in this town.
(I'll just float this:
A friggin' Museum that nobody wants to go to (nor can support) in a section of town that nobody wants to go to (for whatever reason?) NOT a priority...)
I'm so sick and tired of talking to people 'privately' who say 'what a disaster this this place has been,'
only to be told
'...but I don't say anything because I don't want to loose friends and hurt feelings...'
NewsFlash:
Recognizing 'stupid' is a benefit to those who can learn from it (and change)
and a valuable 'teaching moment' to others who may be heading in the same moronic direction...
This joke just isn't funny anymore, there are so many other issues that need to be addressed REALISTICALLY...
-Fresno better hope to God, (or whatever they choose to believe in,)
that Leno, O'Brien, the National Enquirer, the GirlsScouts or Paul Harvey don't pick up on this fiasco too,
--cause, believe me,
when considering stuff that makes Fresno look like pack of fools?
This project stands proud.
It was a nice idea (IF) it was covered by private funds,
--but all too quick it became a money pit that nobody had the balls to be honest about
(until)
it was all over, -and folks were supposed to say
'...gee, it's so shiney, new, valiant and wunnerful, we need this...WHO CARES about the tab...'
-folks were dumb enough to buy that hustle?
Sell it off, Pay back who you can,
Then move on and don't do the same dumb stuff in the future...
Hear, hear, WetT.
The Met was all dressed up with nothing to show.
The grand re-opening? I was like "ooooh, cool colors. Ahhhhhh, lovely gift shop! Ohhhh, so many floors!"
Then I was bored in about 10 minutes. Dinosaur feathers? A horridly small cartoon art display?
The old museum had stuff in every nook and cranny, stuff on permanent display. Historical papers and paintings and photos and sculptures and antiques and stuff. Even if you hated the current show there was still plenty to see.
The new museum's building is so nice, but the folks who ran the place into the ground should be publicly vilified. Milt Barbis is dragged through the mud, why not Dana Thorpe? It seems the rats who were there pre-collapse all ran from Dana Thorpe's sinking ship. I've never met the woman, but her name is listed as Executive Director, so I'm placing the buck there.
People just stopped coming and not for lack of marketing. John English the marketing director couldn't make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t.
This is a travesty well beyond anything Milt Barbis ever tried...at least Milt was an honest thief. Dana Thorpe and crew are the sneaky-thieves, quietly ridding the City of money and prestige.
Amen, WetT. Let someone else take the place over, and let's get us a museum in the future that really understands what the people of Fresno want...whatever the hell that is.