Save Art Now: More Reasons Regents Are Dumb

From Art Matters, the UIMA's blog comesthe interesting little tidbit that the UIMA would in fact, lose it's national accreditation if the Pollack is sold to cover flood damages. The Regents should drop this entire idea, drop the study, drop everything about this stupidity- if genuine concern over the future of the program itself isn't enough, then this should do it. I mean, really, if this doesn't get the idea dropped, then I don't know what will.

The program needs to be protected, but imagine the damage to the University of Iowa if one of its key museums loses national accreditation. How will that make the state look? How will that make the University look? More importantly- how dumb will that make the Regents look?

I know it's tough- and I know the state and the University are up against the proverbial wall with this, but we need to resist the national urge for short term solutions to long term problems. No one ever stops to think about what's going to happen ten, 20 years down the road in situations like this- everyone is just about fixing the problem as quickly as possible, regardless of the consequences. Someone on the Regents or in the Governor's office needs to speak up for long term solutions. Such thinking requires real and actual leadership at all levels- from the University on up to legislators in Des Moines and Washington. We need to work together and rebuild to make the University better and brighter not just for tomorrow, but for students in Iowa and across the country in the future.

So, practically, what can we do? If the Museum cannot stay in its current location, then planning should begin on moving it downtown. I believe the Daily Iowan has already run an op-ed on this, but a new Museum, in the heart of Iowa City could be a revitalizing force for the entire community in the wake of the flooding. Perhaps instead of snatching Federal money for a fake indoor rainforest in Coralville, we could get something going on that. In a community such as Iowa City, where the arts have such a prominent place, the community should have access to a beautiful museum where some of the best art in the country can be on display. I know the counter-argument to this is that it would be detrimental to the underlying academic mission of the Art Museum to move it away from the Arts Campus as a whole, but a downtown location would hardly be beyond the reach of students- and a downtown location, done right could make it more accessible to the community as a whole.

This leaves the question of the Arts Campus: it will take money and an incredible amount of effort to rehabilitate the buildings on the Arts Campus- and some might suggest moving the campus entirely. But where too? With ten minutes between classes, moving the Arts Campus out of downtown is not a tenable solution. How are students supposed to traverse the wider distances? Such a move, however, could provide protection from further flooding- even though a move would, I think, shatter the cohesive place of the University in the heart of Iowa City.

Could we build flood defenses? That's an open question. What about a flood wall? Normally such things are ugly and blah looking, scars on the green space beside any given river, but it's an Arts Campus- full of Art Students. If mobilized, the creative forces of the Arts Campus I'm sure could come up with a concept that would enhance the area instead of detract from it. Unfortunately, a flood wall would be hampered by the steam tunnels the UI has running under the River. Water would, in a future flood, probably seep up through those tunnels that could undermine a future flood wall/flood defense.

But in the end: it's a college campus. You have a source of unpaid (or at least cheap) labor. Engineers rub shoulders with geographers and artists. Harness the creative powers of the campus to build defenses against future floods.

And if the Museum does move downtown, then the Dance Department could take their current building (since I think they want to anyway).

But let's push the power of creative thinking.