Letter from the editor:

The aftermath of a major blast, layoffs at the Metropolitan Museum, the sale of a Qu'ran with a peculiar provenance, and an essay on the role of design and architecture schools are the subjects of this email.

First off, the city of Beirut is still assessing the damage from Tuesday's epic blast, which includes at least 135 dead — a major tragedy.

Hakim Bishara spoke to Zeina Arida, director of the city's premier museum of modern art, Sursock Museum, to find out more about how the city's museums and galleries are adjusting to this intense shock, and she explained that the "explosion shattered the museum’s doors, windows, skylights, and collapsed the ceilings of some of its rooms. It also damaged a large number of artworks in its permanent collection, including a valuable 1930 portrait of the museum’s founder Nicolas Sursock by Dutch painter Kees van Dongen. Two ceramics by the Lebanese-American artist Simone Fattal were completely destroyed, among many other items in the collection." We're still learning more as Beirutis emerge from the rubble.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has also reported that there will be new layoffs, which means that it has reduced its staff by 20% since the start of the pandemic. Let's hope this doesn't foretell another wave of layoffs further afield.

The sale of a Qu'ran at auction brings up serious questions about religious objects offered for sale. Sarah Rose Sharp interviews art historian Yael Rice, who explains: “The argument that arts’ value to collectors is what, in the end, has led to the preservation of many objects enters perilous territory. An object’s entrance into the art market necessitates its transformation into a commodity … This point also neglects to take into account that destruction and/or ‘deaccessioning’ is actually an integral part of some objects’ ‘natural’ lives.”

And finally, Michael Allen pens on op-ed on what design and architecture schools are actually for. He writes: "Across the university, our chancellor wants to increase 'support' for faculty who study race, as well as to hire 12 new tenure-track faculty members to study race in America — a potentially powerful move, but mitigated by unsettling institutional language, framed as part of a plan to 'design a new racial future.'”

The future can only be designed, in my opinion, when we all work together with a mutually agreed upon framework, not a top-down approach. 

Onwards and upwards.

Deadly Explosion in Beirut Decimates Thousands of Buildings, Including Galleries and Museums

In the wake of the massive explosion, which killed at least 135 people, art institutions in Beirut are banding together to help protect collections and offer storage.

Hakim Bishara

News

Metropolitan Museum Isssues Second Round of Layoffs and Furloughs, Reducing Staff by 20%

Days ahead of today’s announcement, a group of Met employees sent a letter to museum administrators demanding greater transparency and protection for workers.

The Sale of a Rare, Gold-painted Qur’an at Christie’s Raises Questions of Provenance

Experts have criticized auction house practices that prioritize dropping the hammer on sales rather than on looters or art smugglers.

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