The prospect of the Detroit Institute of Arts losing its collection to satisfy creditors in a municipal bankruptcy is prompting concern at other city-owned venues with potentially vulnerable assets, Christine Ferretti reports in The Detroit News.
"Officials at the Detroit Historical Society, which rotates artifacts from its 250,000-piece collection between two Detroit museums, said they are determining their next steps in the wake of the DIA controversy.
"We're continuing to evaluate the situation internally. We're concerned about it," said Bob Bury, the Detroit Historical Society's executive director. "Everyone recognizes that cultural institutions are very important to the community and in many ways define the community."
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Historic Fort Wayne and the Detroit Zoo also are among the institutions that could be at risk if Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr pursues Chapter 9 bankruptcy for Detroit, which is grappling with some $15.6 billion in long-term debt. Though the DIA's collection clearly is the most valuable, the furor has set off alarms at the smaller venues.
