Incoming Brandeis University President Frederick M. Lawrence plans to maintain the status quo at the school’s Rose Art Museum, according to a micro interview we conducted via e-mail (and via the school’s department of media relations).
How do you see the Rose fitting into Brandeis? “The Rose is a vital part of Brandeis. The founders of the university strongly believed in the value of the creative arts, and that appreciation will continue. The Future of the Rose report addressed this point, saying the Rose should remain a university art museum open to the public and it should be more fully integrated into the mission of the university. The Board has endorsed those recommendations and the university has made two impressive hires at the Rose this year in support of those goals.”
Would you consider selling art from the Rose collection? “When President Reinharz announced the decision to work with Sotheby’s in late May, he said the university’s preference is – and has been – to maintain ownership of the Rose collection. I support that decision and I’m hopeful we can find a solution that will work for everyone involved.”