In the Arts: U. of Iowa Wins Battle Over Legislator’s Demand to Sell Painting
February 25, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
An Iowa lawmaker has dropped his proposal to require the University of Iowa to sell its $150-million Jackson Pollock painting to finance scholarships, The Des Moines Register writes.
Rep. Scott Raecker said the emotional debate over his bill, which was due to be considered by a House committee Monday, would distract the legislature from its most pressing priority, passing a budget.
Gov. Terry Branstad and John Pappajohn, a Des Moines philanthropist who has given the university $40-million, both came out against selling “Mural,” which was donated to the university by Peggy Guggenheim in 1951.
In other arts news, Actor’s Express, an Atlanta theater, has issued an urgent e-mail plea for donations to combat its mounting debt, the latest in a line of campaigns by struggling Georgia theaters, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says.
Actor’s Express is seeking $50,000 in the next four weeks and $150,000 by July 31. Officials of the 23-year-old theater say it owes $140,000 and is struggling to meet its bills amid a crippling slump in corporate giving.
