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Boy Scouts’ bankruptcy won’t stop local art opening

Howland museum to display works by Rockwell, Disney, others

HOWLAND — Tuesday’s bankruptcy filing by the Boy Scouts of America will not prevent its art collection from going on display next month at the Medici Museum of Art.

The museum at 9350 E. Market St. became custodians in January of the collection, which includes 65 paintings by 20th century American artist Norman Rockwell as well as creations by filmmaker / animator Walt Disney and other nationally known artists among its 350-plus works.

“We are going to proceed as we planned,” said Howland attorney Ned Gold, who was instrumental in bringing the collection here. “This possibility was factored into our thinking on it.”

John Anderson, one of the directors of Foundation Medici, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the museum, said it has no impact on the museum’s immediate plans.

“I look upon the event as being nothing but an enhancement of our ultimate hanging of the Rockwell collection,” he said. “It’s all about the art and not the circumstance. We anticipated the probability, if not the likelihood, of this happening, and the timing gives us a lot more publicity we never would have been accorded.”

The Chapter 11 filing by the BSA is designed to protect the 110-year-old organization from current and future victim compensation lawsuits. Changes in the statute of limitations in several states are allowing victims of sexual assault to file claims who previously were ineligible. An Associated Press story described it as one of the biggest, most complex bankruptcies ever.

Concern over a bankruptcy filing and the negative attention from sexual assault claims against the BSA were among the reasons cited by Butler Institute of American Art Executive Director Louis A. Zona and its board of trustees when it tabled a proposal to become custodians of the art collection in December 2018.

The rift following that decision led Foundation Medici to terminate its lease agreement with the Butler for the Howland location and operate the museum independently.

Gold said it’s premature to talk about how long it will take for the case to work its way through bankruptcy court and whether the art collection is one of the assets the BSA will need to liquidate in order to survive.

“The one thing I know about bankruptcy law is that I don’t know enough about bankruptcy law,” Gold said. “I can’t begin to speculate on what will happen. It’s just too soon.”

Anderson and Gold announced last week that the collection would open to the public on March 22 after two days of private events on March 20 and 21. While the museum will request donations, there will be no set admission fee to see the artwork.

The museum will be seeking financial support from private donors, and both men said they hoped support of the museum would not be affected by the negative publicity surrounding the Boy Scouts.

“Norman Rockwell is one of the greatest-ever American artists,” Gold said. “He saw the greatness of the American character in scouting. I believe that those that would consider donating to the museum and making it become an integral part of the community will understand that.”

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