Editorial: Crane, Art Center have a decision to make
Published 12:00 am Monday, April 14, 2008
Susanne Crane and Art Center board members both make several points that are valuable, but the division of dislike between the two parties is so deep it doesn&8217;t seem they can ever kiss and make up.
It&8217;s easy to say the Art Center trusted Susanne Crane a little too much when its members entered into a sell-then-lease arrangement in 2005. What&8217;s done is done, though. The divide is the matter at hand.
On one hand, Crane is right when she argues the Art Center should seek high-talent regional artists to display (at no cost to the artist) and in doing so the shows would bring greater attention to local art and local artists. She is an idea person and ideas are valuable to any organization wishing to thrive. On the other hand, she needlessly sued the board, seeking to evict the Art Center from its longtime home. That action only invites enmity.
Much of arguments in the lawsuit were petty: who shoveled snow, who secured the building, whether $1 rent checks in past years came on time, things like that.
Crane, if she wants change, must understand Rome wasn&8217;t built in a day, and even if she doesn&8217;t agree with the Art Center board, she must respect its decisions and appreciate that it has deep ties in this community. Big city or little, community ties matter a lot.
Change takes time. Politics, even in a small organization, is an art form. Patience is required and, best of all, rewarded.
At this point, a decision needs to be made and soon: Either Crane and the Art Center need to part ways amicably and for good, or they need to agree to work together while respecting differences of opinion henceforth.