Goodbye old museum

[fbhjr]

For the last dozen or more years my wife and I have had an on again/off
again relationship with the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester. We used to
be part of their research guild, then historical demonstrators and finally
folks watching a slow motion implosion from a distance.

The museum has clearly been in trouble for years. Everyone below the
director level knew it, but above that level they were all taking a cruise
on denial.

Yesterday we got an interesting email from the museum:
“I am writing to inform you of a news story appearing in tomorrow's
newspapers regarding Higgins Armory Museum. While I cannot share with you
the details of the story in this email, we will be making an exciting
announcement regarding the future of our museum.”


Today I looked in the local paper and here is the announcement:
“The Higgins Armory Museum, an 82-year-old Worcester institution with an
internationally renowned collection of arms and armor that is the second
largest in the country, announced Friday it will permanently close Dec. 31
after losing a long battle to raise enough endowment money to ensure its
future”

So, “an exciting announcement regarding the future of our museum”=”we’re
closing”.
Yeah, that’s typical of the way they try and spin things.

I’m a bit surprised they are actually going to be closing the doors. The
rumors were that either the Boston or Worcester art museums were going to
be buying them. I had thought they’d just take over management of it.
But, apparently the Worcester Art Museum has bought the collection, but not
the building. So they’re going to be taking the best stuff and moving it
the 3 miles to their museum and leaving the old building empty.

I will miss the museum. It was one of my all time favorite places to do
sword shows.
But, you can’t make the mistakes they made and stay open.

Comments

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

You're hitting the nails (of the coffin) on the head.

The MFA and the MET tried to buy the collection back in the 70's and 80's (apparently an NY Biz Man tried to by the
collection right after the museum got accredited as a museum after Higgins died) but the board denied them each time.

Apparently the WAM and HAM were in talks for years anyway for an "what if" scenario, so, it sort of has a feel for the
LucasArts-Disney "merger", something that'd been in talks under the table for years, but now people and situations were
in place that made the "most" sense.

When Jeffrey called me last night to explain what was happening, I too thought the WAM was to become an operator
much as they've done with the Craft Center. But then he said when it's closed and the collection moved to the library...
To say I didn't feel hurt and sad would be lying.

The building itself appears to be it's own death nell. It was becoming impossible to keep open, despite rising attendance
and grants to renovate it.

It's going to be a long year.

[evrgreen.livejournal.com]

What will they be doing with all the historical texts, etc?

Do think that they will have a "garage sale" so that if one wanted to buy, say, a great helm that they'd have some for sale - with suitable level of patina, of course ;-)

[pallid-regina.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm sorry for your loss. I know you saw it coming but even so it's sad.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about me, I've been a Worcester Art Museum member for years...

[cissa.livejournal.com]

I sure hope they don't trash the building. That building is GORGEOUS.