I always feel like Scrooge when I report on situations like that of the Fayetteville Museum of Art, in North Carolina, but in the long run it’s better to publicize troubles, in hopes that other cities may avoid the same ones.
The 40-year-old museum, which ran into expansion problems, is about to be dissolved, according to the Fayetteville Observer. The board is expected to vote on that as early as this week.
The museum sold what it could of its permanent collection in September and used those proceeds to pay off some of its debts. The land and building, put on the market for $1.25 million in 2008, fetched just $250,000. It was purchased by a wedding photographer who plans to turn it into a wedding and events space.
This is a tale of over-enthusiasm, which is where Scrooge comes in.
I wish there were a Ghost of Museums Yet to Come to turn this tale around, but there just isn’t. Even the museum’s website is gone. But hope springs eternal. According to the Observer, “proceeds from the sale of remaining artwork will go to an endowment at the Cumberland Community Foundation for use by a future art museum entity. A task force is forming to help lay groundwork for such an organization, [Mac] Healy [the board president] said.”