What hangs in the DIA should stay in the DIA, L. Brooks Patterson declares in a Free Press guest commentary.
L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County executive, writeds: "The state needs to step up to protect the DIA, an asset that is beneficial not just to the region, but to Michigan."
Oakland County's elected chief executive stands firmly with Detroit on the issue of shielding museum assets from bankruptcy liquidation.
We all have a stake in the DIA’s future. . . .
The DIA has an enviable art collection. It is the only encyclopedic art museum in the region and has works by Rembrandt, Rodin, Van Gogh and Rivera. It has the best Italian Renaissance collection in the United States. Special exhibits, events, classes and the Detroit Film Theatre round out a list of offerings that make the DIA invaluable -- not just to the tri-county area, but to Michigan.
Patterson, 75, is a sixth-term suburban leader who hasn't always embraced regionalism that tightly.
When it comes to the endangered art collection, though, he's unwavering.
The state needs to step up to protect the DIA, an asset that is beneficial not just to the region, but to Michigan. . . .
I commend Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposal to support the deal [proposed by nine foundations] with $350 million in state funds. But more is needed. . . .
I’m not concerned with who ultimately owns the DIA, only in leaving its collection intact.
-- Alan Stamm
