Hasta La Ideas

As soon as the National Portrait Gallery controversy began, and particularly after details of the internal dissent were leaked, we knew it was only a matter of time before the calls to remove the Smithsonian‘s man in charge, Wayne Clough, would begin. And so has happened in the pages of the Washington Post this week, with the paper’s staff writer Philip Kennicott saying the Institution’s director made such poor decisions in handling the initial controversy, as well as the recent debacle over artist AA Bronson‘s desire to have his piece pulled from the Gallery as well, and helped reignite culture wars along the way, that proves he’s no longer fit to lead. Kennicott poses a strong argument, and one not at all unexpected given the current climate surrounding the organization. However, on the devil’s advocate side, one could argue that this has just been a slight bump on the road in Clough’s just-over two year-old career at the Smithsonian, which has been perhaps positively marked by his having to make tough administrative decisions to help keep the Institution and its various appendages financially afloat, from major cuts to revenue generators. While the National Portrait Gallery situation is indeed unfortunate, and left a lot of egg on a lot of faces, is it enough to completely kill Clough’s credibility and future there? We don’t have the answers, but like we said, we’d been expecting the questions for a while.

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Earlier this year saw the fall of the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas, as it closed up shop for good after operating for more than 30 years. And while one celebrity-focused museum closing is difficult enough, two will make you feel even worse. The Wall Street Journal files this great, heartbreaking report from Indiana, Pennsylvania, home of The Jimmy Stewart Museum, which is dedicated to perhaps the town’s most famous native son (unless you’re more a fan of Edward Abbey or Renee Fleming, who also call it home). As has been the story throughout the museum industry, attendance is way down and as follows, so is operating income. To make matters worse, and again the same story at so many other institutions, the Journal reports that government funding for the museum has also been drastically reduced, perhaps down to nothing next year. While they still have some sources of revenue (the Stewart and Clooney families donate each year), the museum is worried that it just won’t be enough to keep them afloat. On a positive note, while Liberace didn’t exactly have a career-attached method of soliciting donations to keep the museum dedicated to him alive, Stewart has one of the most famous with It’s a Wonderful Life. So if you happen to watch the film this week (go turn on your television — we guarantee it’s on at least 3 channels right now) and the ending has you with a surplus of good will toward men feelings, here’s the museum’s donation page.

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While the American Institute of Architects gains a new leader, Architectural Record is losing one. It’s been announced that the magazine’s long-time editor-in-chief, Robert Ivy, has accepted the position of CEO and Executive Vice President of the AIA effective February 1st. Ivy had been with the magazine since 1996, as well as serving as an executive within publisher McGraw-Hill‘s Construction Media department, “overseeing the editorial quality of numerous print and online publications.” The move comes just seven months after the AIA announced that it would be leaving Architectural Record as their official magazine in favor of Architect, both of which in combination, have commenters voicing concerns about AR‘s longevity. Ivy will be taking over at the AIA and stepping into the role formerly occupied by Christine McEntee, who left this past summer for a position outside of the industry. As for the magazine now replacing Ivy, the Chicago Tribune‘s Blair Kamin reports that they will be on the hunt shortly.

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The Andy Warhol Museum, not to be confused with the Andy Warhol Foundation which is currently at war with the Smithsonian (though the Museum also put out its own statement about the ongoing David Wojnarowicz controversy and helped bring his pulled-piece in for public viewing in Pittsburgh), has named an interim director following the surprise announcement that its long-time head, Tom Sokolowski, had decided to retire. Though the Museum is planning to hunt for a full-time replacement from outside the museum, starting on January 1st, current curator at the institution, Eric Shiner, will take over the role. Here’s a bit about his background from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Shiner joined the Warhol as curator in October 2008. A native of New Castle and former curatorial assistant intern at the Warhol, Shiner was previously an adjunct professor of East Asian Contemporary Art at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, Stony Brook University and Pace University. He was assistant curator under artistic director Shinji Kohmoto for the inaugural Yokohama Triennale in Japan in 2001. And he served as a guest curator for numerous exhibitions in New York.

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While Michigan State University is still scrambling to gather up the last remaining $6 million to pay for their Zaha Hadid-designed Eli and Edythe Broad Museum, the museum itself is moving full steam ahead with their hiring, with the news that they’ve selected Michael Rush as their first director. Rush’s previous position had been at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, which you might recall was at the center of one of last year’s most heated controversies, with the school trying to shut the museum down and sell off all its art to help pay a few bills. During that time, Rush was on the side of those against the school’s plans, which undoubtedly won him some points among the museum set. Said Rush about the new position at the new museum, which should be finished sometime in the spring of 2012, “I am honored to be joining Michigan State as the founding director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. This is for me an extraordinary opportunity; moreover, this new museum is a great moment in philanthropy, education and international contemporary art.” And here’s a bit from Mr. Broad himself:

“Edye and I are delighted with the selection of Michael Rush as director of the Broad Art Museum,” said Broad. “He is a principled scholar, educator and museum professional who has demonstrated an ability to work effectively with a broad public while growing the reach of arts institutions internationally. We are impressed with his leadership and are confident he will work with MSU and the Lansing community to make the museum a world-class institution.”

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