News Flash: Maier Art Sale Opponents Win Another Court Victory UPDATED

This just in: The Virginia Supreme Court today effectively extended from today to Feb. 15 the deadline by which opponents to sales of art from Randolph College's Maier Museum, Lynchburg, VA, must raise $1 million to secure the temporary injunction that the court had previously granted against sales.

The court ruled that it would be sufficient for sale opponents to file a surety bond or certified or cashiers check in the amount of $500,000 today, with another $500,000 due Feb. 15 (which would then secure the injunction until May 10). The sale opponents said that they had raised $500,000 and would meet today's deadline. (UPDATE: They have hand-delivered a $500,000 check to the court's clerk in Lynchburg.)

In extending the time for depositing the second $500,000, the court granted a request filed Friday by the sale opponents.

According to the court order (from which one of six judges dissented):

The petitioners [the sale opponents] assert...that a spokeswoman for the respondent [trustees of Randolph College] has recently released a public statement to the effect that the college has no immediate plans to sell any of the four paintings at issue 'before this litigation is concluded.'...Respondent does not deny or disavow this statement by the college spokesperson.

In other words, extending the amount of time for raising the full amount of the bond would probably not cause any delay in possible future sales and would therefore not cause the college any additional hardship. That's because the litigation won't be concluded until the case over the possible sale of the paintings is decided by the court on its merits.

Anne Yastremski of Preserve Educational Choice, the anti-art sales group, gave this update on the $1-million fundraising effort. Museum directors are among those who have stepped up to the plate:

We have received donations from more than 650 people, ranging from spare change collected by students on campus to checks for $100,000. As of today we have raised a little more than $500,000. One student donated $2,500 she saved from work during the past two summers. A group of students went door-to-door in the dormitories and raised more than $2,200 from 213 of their fellow students (approximately one third of the student body).

In addition to this student effort, the Art Defense Fund [use pull-down menu]...has received contributions from more than 450 other individuals---from residents of Lynchburg to alumnae living overseas to museum directors from around the country.

If any of those generous museum directors would like to come forward, I'll be happy to publish their names on CultureGrrl's Maier Rescue Honor Roll!

Meanwhile, Christa Desrets reported last week in the Lynchburg News & Advance:

Randolph College on Thursday withdrew a Lynchburg Circuit Court proceeding that sought to determine whether the college could share or sell certain pieces of art [those bought with funds provided by the bequest of Louise Jordan Smith] in the Maier Museum. Instead, the college will focus on litigation involving the four specific paintings [not bought with Smith funds] it plans to sell.

Maybe they've decided that pursuing a lawsuit that appears to disregard the written instructions in the will of the Maier Museum's art-fund donor, Louise Jordan Smith, is a low-percentage play.

In the same article, Desrets also wrote:

In the meantime, the college may consider pursuing options for sharing the artwork.

Does anyone know who might be interested in sharing? Calling Alice Walton!