Cold Shoulder ? | Craig Malin

The City is midway through a 20 year agreement with the Figge Art Center that will provide more than $21.5 million in cash and rights to the City’s art collection, which is insured for more than $16 million. This $37.5 million contribution was not mentioned in the Times’ December 1 editorial.

The editorial follows, with parenthetical notes to clarify misstatements and omissions.

Davenport’s elected and appointed leaders can’t just stand and gawk at the Figge Art Museum’s long-term budget plans. [Providing $37.5 million in support is hardly “standing and gawking”. Nor is holding a public work session to review how the City and Figge can work together.]

The council was among the ardent initial supporters of making the city-owned art collection a centerpiece of the iconic museum. [The City was a supporter of turning an art museum, run as a City department, into a regional attraction and resource, run by a regional non-profit corporation. That is the basis of the 2003 agreement, available here.] Later, it worked a deal to lease the old art museum space to the Davenport School District, assuring the collection could never come back. [Here’s one sentence with three misstatements. #1 – We didn’t lease the old art museum to the Davenport School District. We gave it to the School District, and provided the Putnam over a million dollars in the process. #2 – We didn’t participate in the building transfer to keep the art from coming back. We did it because the art is never coming back to that building, and we were able to turn unused space into a great facility for Davenport Schools. #3 – Is there anyone other than the editorial’s author who believes the City should help fund a $48 million new art museum, and then expect the City’s art to come back to a building that was sitting vacant for twenty years?]

When the Figge opened in 2003, the council agreed to a 20-year deal requiring taxpayers to provide $753,000 annually in return for the museum maintaining and curating the city-owned art. [Partially right, but mostly wrong. The 2003 agreement established a $753,000 annual payment by the City. This payment was expected to decrease as the Figge became financially secure – see section 8. The Figge, meanwhile, was granted rights to the City’s art collection in perpetuity – see section 9. The notion that the City contracted for maintenance and curating of the City’s art collection for a 20 year term is not fully accurate. The City contributed $21.5 million in cash and rights to an art collection insured at $16 million to get itself out of the business of running an art museum and to get the Figge on solid financial footing, with 20 years of payments, which were supposed to decline over time.]

So the council has had a big say in the Figge’s past. [and is its single biggest funder].

It should have an interest in its future. [it does]

But when Figge Development Director Raelene Pullen visited the council last week to begin long-term discussions of city support, most of the council scoffed. [Not true at all, and written by someone not at the meeting.] Mayor Bill Gluba urged the Figge to look elsewhere, suggesting Davenport shouldn’t be the sole supporter.

City Administrator Craig Malin wrote a nine-point memo to aldermen. He wrote two columns on the city's new PR website. But in a public meeting when Pullen asked about the fate of the city’s art collection if the city pulled funding, Malin clammed up. "That's an interesting question," Malin replied. [Here’s one problem with writing editorials about meetings you don’t attend. Had the author attended the meeting, it would have been clear the exchange was polite and positive. Secondly, the “that’s an interesting question” response underscores the decision isn’t mine to make. I’m the hired help, with budget authority $703,000 shy of the City’s annual contribution. It was a City Council worksession, with representatives of the Figge. The less I say in such a setting, the better. Finally, the editorial statement that the City is “pulling funding” is simply wrong. No one at the City is suggesting the City “pull funding” or not honor our commitment under the 2003 agreement.]

Malin led efforts to pour taxpayer money into a casino purchase and into Davenport school initiatives. [Both initiatives were approved by the City Council.] The city already fielded funding requests from the Putnam Museum. [and has provided well over a million dollars in recent years] It took over the privately run riverfront skating rink and opened it as River’s Edge skating and indoor soccer area. [The privately run skating rink was on City-owned property, and we were asked to take over the operation by the non-profit that was operating it.]

It partnered with the school district to put on shows in the Adler.

Clearly the council has a track record of spending for arts and culture.

Pullen and the Figge board simply are trying to plan ahead. Why so dour about the Figge? [No one at the meeting seemed dour to me. Everyone seemed interested and committed to working together.]

After the council’s cold shoulder [More than $37.5 million of support is a “cold shoulder”?], at-large Alderman Gene Meeker wisely suggested a task force, a terrific idea. Draw on Gluba’s suggestion and fill it with members from throughout our Quad-Cities. Ramp up the Figge’s endowment efforts. Continue to work with our casino authorities, which have been strong Figge supporters. And by all means, reach out to other local governments and school districts. Develop outreach programs that merit investment by those towns and schools. [Good ideas, some of which are in my memo to the Council].

Davenport aldermen should drop the tough talk about stiffing the Figge. [Not one person said one word about “stiffing” the Figge or otherwise not honoring the City’s 2003 agreement.] Past councils contracted with the Figge to be stewards of the city’s art. [The Figge agreed to be that steward, in perpetuity.] The current and future councils need to honor that contract, not dismiss it because they’ve chosen to steer taxpayer dollars to ballparks, ice skating rinks, lodges in floodplains and the city's own news bureau.