Posted inNews

Detroit Emergency Manager Continues Detroit Institute of Arts Shakedown

In a process that at this point is approaching farce, the Detroit Free Press is reporting that City of Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr demanded yesterday that the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) contribute to a city bankruptcy fund, despite the recent $680 million intervention on the DIA’s behalf by Michigan governor Rick Snyder and a consortium of nonprofit foundations.

Posted inArt

Why Detroit’s Bankruptcy Is Good News for Its Art Museum

DETROIT — “The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults,” wrote Alexis de Tocqueville. The US is great because it can roll up its sleeves and fix its problems. On December 3, US Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled that the City of Detroit was eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection.

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Detroit Creditors File in Court to Push for DIA Art Sale

In a legal filing today first reported in the Detroit Free Press, a consortium of Detroit creditors aggressively make their case for the sale of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ collection. The document, dated November 26, charges that emergency manager Kevyn Orr has been insufficiently transparent about the process by which Christie’s is evaluating the DIA’s collection.

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Detroit Emergency Manager Was the One Who Called Christie’s

The Detroit News has reported that it was Emergency Manager Kevin Orr who brought in Christie’s to appraise the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) collection. Orr, who in turn claimed that he is acting on behalf of creditors, has come under fire in recent weeks for his seemingly cavalier treatment of the DIA collection as the city forges into the grueling bankruptcy process.