Barnes Museum set to move to Parkway

By Eric Donovan
Collegian Reporter
September 19, 2007

Despite much controversy involved in its relocation process, the Barnes Museum will be moving to a new home on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. After operating from a Merion, Pa. location since 1922, this move will contribute yet another museum to Philadelphia’s varied and diverse cultural community.

The Barnes Museum was founded in 1922 “to promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts,” according to the museum’s Web site. Education programs, gallery tours and group lectures are held in the museum to further the appreciation of the arts.

The museum houses an extensive selection of artwork, including collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early modern pieces, notable works by Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir, Gauguin and Modigliani, as well as African art in the form of sculptures. The museum also features an art gallery, arboretum, archives and a library. The entire museum collection is estimated to be worth about $2 billion.

According to Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D) in Trust Magazine, “The relocation will make [the art] accessible to the thousands of people who visit downtown Philadelphia each day, and increase exposure to the amazing collection, which, along with its educational value, was the intention of Dr. Barnes.”

The Barnes Museum would be moved to the Parkway, and despite controversy about its move, many are excited to welcome the museum. According to Marybeth Gasman, assistant professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, the museum would be “joining a truly world-class block of cultural establishments and adding to an important tourist attraction.”

While Gasman asserts that such a move would be beneficial to the community’s cultural life, she points out problems with the move, which is much in line with sentiments from local citizens as well as members of the art community.

Planning this move has been ongoing for the past few years, but the decision to move it to the Parkway, as announced by Philadelphia Mayor John Street Sept. 5, has ignited protests among residents of East Falls and the art community as well, each for different reasons.

At the press conference Sept. 5, Street also revealed that the Youth Student Center would move from its Parkway location to one in East Falls. The problem is that residents were not told about the move.

“At that point, if they’ve not spoken to the community, it’s not [going to] be pretty,” Philadelphia City Planning Commission member Bill Kramer said to Philadelphia City Paper.

The main concern of placing the detention center in the area is that it will have a negative impact on the development of the East Falls section, according to a statement by president of the East Falls Community Council Adam Carangi in City Paper.

According to City Paper, the council members have met with city officials over its concerns. While both sides remain unsettled as to a compromise, they have agreed to meet again Sept. 19 to further discuss the issues.

However, issues among the art community are unsettled. Many suggest that the move is not something Barnes, the founder of the museum, would have wanted. Criticisms such as this have been ongoing since the move was proposed. In a 2003 Philadelphia Inquirer article, Edward Sozanski asserts that the “relocation makes sense, but it would be wrong.”

“The Barnes is small, quiet and contemplative. No one has persuasively argued that a Barnes on the Parkway could ever be,” Sozanski said.

Dr. Albert C. Barnes, for whom the museum is named, dedicated himself to the appreciation and advancement of the arts in the 1920s. Since then, his collection has grown to the pieces now on display in the Barnes Museum.

The Barnes Foundation carries out its mission to education and advancement of the arts through teaching, research and exposure to the fine arts.

In another effort to advance fine arts education, the Barnes Foundation offers internships in several fields. Applications may be found on the foundation’s Web site.

Individuals, as well as groups, can support the Barnes Foundation by donating to the Annual Giving Fund and participating in foundation activities.

At this time, the Barnes Museum and Foundation is not anticipating a big move.

Despite the controversies surrounding the move, it is clear that the support behind the Barnes Museum itself is a testament to its quality. This trait is a characteristic that may survive the move so that the museum can further enhance Philadelphia’s cultural repertoire.

donovane1@lasalle.edu