Barron gets grilled by PA Rep about new art museum
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Did he start crying and bust out the onion dip?
I am no Barron fan. But I think he acquitted himself quite well. Not that I agree with his initiative - I do not. I just believe Barron made a plausible argument for his position.
I wonder where these folks would have gotten all that info wrt the Museum Project?
Probably the alumni trustees
So he's relying on money he's stealing from the AD plus private donations for a museum that he's justifying a projected over 1000% increase in visitors because there's an arboretum there, too?
Other than the fact that he mouth-sh!t a cactus, I agree. The guy has a lot he is on the hook for, so I get his answers won’t be tight on every subject, but all he did is figuratively wave his hands in the air and mouth-fart, followed by the main course.
So how much is coming from the university? Barron mentioned a fundraising campaign that brought in $17.1 million + $4 million from BTN.
He also said they have $50 million in artwork waiting to be displayed (which I find very hard to believe)
Just sell that, and you almost have the new place paid for!
Just sell that, and you almost have the new place paid for!
It's obvious "Barron's Folly" will lose huge amounts of money but it will get his name on a building and enrich the 'usual suspects'
It's not from the BTN per se. Nominally, it's taken from the conference's revenue distribution, which has a media rights component. However, as the Immortal Rod taught us, money is fungible, so, in the end, Fats is tripping it from the Athletic Department (e.g. it might as well come from football ticket sales). What the Fatman failed to mention is that this money could go to other priorities, like some of the stuff that CJF wants for the football program, investment in the basketball program, construction of the Anne Saunders Barbour Swimmin' Hole, or, perish the thought, the Uinversity's General Fund.
Appraisal probably comes from the same consultant that projected attendance at the new museum.
I’m not a fundraising expert, but if he hopes to raise $80 million, shouldn’t more than $17 million have been raised in six months if $80 million is a realistic goal?
Taking it from the athletic department means the fan base pays for the fancy “picture hanging house” by way of increased donation levels and higher tix prices as a result if less money in the IAD operating budget. Nice shell game fat boy.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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This fiasco makes me think once again of the underlying problem -- student loans that make no economic sense for the associated degree and/or potential of the student. It's like a business run by a board that does not need to answer to shareholders.
No one is underwriting these guaranteed student loans, so schools just raise the price and waste the money on administrators and building contractors.
In my opinion, someone with collateral (the parents, a relative, or a concerned citizen) should be required to back the loans. It should be their house, savings, or social security that should be on the line, not the future of a child who has yet to experience the real world, much less make a huge financial decision.
No one is underwriting these guaranteed student loans, so schools just raise the price and waste the money on administrators and building contractors.
In my opinion, someone with collateral (the parents, a relative, or a concerned citizen) should be required to back the loans. It should be their house, savings, or social security that should be on the line, not the future of a child who has yet to experience the real world, much less make a huge financial decision.
It is easy to spend other peoples money. When you run out you increase prices or create other fees to subsidize the short comings. All PSU students will now have an additional fee, lets call it the Museum fee. When this wonderful Barron Art Museum is paid for this fee will continue to exist to take care of the ongoing dollars that will be needed to operate. These are the kind of people that turned their back on Joe.
I guess we know where the Paterno Statue's future home will be.
He thinks the arboretum is going to be a big draw to out of town visitors? If there’s anything Pennsylvanian’s are deprived of it’s the limited ability to see trees and bushes in ‘Penn’s Forest’.
So Palmer apparently now gets 100 visitors a day- (about 36,000 a year) but he expects building a new museum will suddenly bring in 500,000?
Finally, I think he’s spending too much time in Pittsburgh. People don’t want to go to expensive games without ‘something for the family’? So, once we get a new museum everyone will want to go buy expensive PSU football tickets because they can take the kids to the museum before the game?
So Palmer apparently now gets 100 visitors a day- (about 36,000 a year) but he expects building a new museum will suddenly bring in 500,000?
Finally, I think he’s spending too much time in Pittsburgh. People don’t want to go to expensive games without ‘something for the family’? So, once we get a new museum everyone will want to go buy expensive PSU football tickets because they can take the kids to the museum before the game?
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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Folks, this is Ahab. And the museum is his Moby Dick. You can see it in his eyes as he desperately tries to justify it. 'Best museum between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.' Holy f***. Also, where did $50mm worth of art come from? Is this a few Warhols? Maybe a couple Picassos? Or a few thousand pieces of nothing? It's embarrassing to watch.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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He thinks the arboretum is going to be a big draw to out of town visitors? If there’s anything Pennsylvanian’s are deprived of it’s the limited ability to see trees and bushes in ‘Penn’s Forest’.
So Palmer apparently now gets 100 visitors a day- (about 36,000 a year) but he expects building a new museum will suddenly bring in 500,000?
Finally, I think he’s spending too much time in Pittsburgh. People don’t want to go to expensive games without ‘something for the family’? So, once we get a new museum everyone will want to go buy expensive PSU football tickets because they can take the kids to the museum before the game?
Also, WTF do the millions of people attending football games do now without a museum for their family? This guy is a world class blowhard.
The arboretum is a nice place. But good riddance, no one is planning a trip there around a football weekend.
Also note how he waffled when asked if he would charge admission or not. You have an $81 million museum all figured out but don't know if you're going to charge admission?
No see, you are planning to charge admission but didn't want to admit that because that'd spite your 400k estimate.
Also note how he waffled when asked if he would charge admission or not. You have an $81 million museum all figured out but don't know if you're going to charge admission?
No see, you are planning to charge admission but didn't want to admit that because that'd spite your 400k estimate.
From my experience being involved in loaning $$-$$$$ artwork to museums, the Palmer is not well regarded and I do not see how a new museum is ever going to change that.
Edit: just to be clear it was not my art, The company I worked for at the time owned many pieces that went up for auction or loaned out to museums over the years.
Edit: just to be clear it was not my art, The company I worked for at the time owned many pieces that went up for auction or loaned out to museums over the years.
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I agree. The politician had a point but he let Baron off the hook. Primarily, I suspect, because most politicians are superficial, non-critical thinkers. He SHOULD have grilled Barron but did not.
True, but reality is that there is nothing he can do vis a vis the museum project. However, it's performances like Barron's that help explain why Harrisburg isn't particularly generous when it comes to appropriating money for PSU.
A few things. Yes I want to know who and what the 50mm worth of art is.
Did someone donate some Warhol Cookie Jars or some Wyeth's? oh speaking of Wyeth's Barron must not be aware of the Wyeth Museum. Its kind of nice...https://www.brandywine.org/museum/about/wyeth-family-artists
which by the way 30,000 students visit a year. JMO but the consultants Visitor estimation is pretty "pie in the sky".
The only thing I agree with Barron about is that the Zoeller Galleria is woefully inadequate and has been since 1983.
Barbara Palmer gifted her art collection to Penn State last year. I have no idea how it was valued but it a large collection and includes an original Georgia O’Keefe. O’Keefe paintings have fetched over $40M at auction.
https://news.psu.edu/story/587164/2.../palmer-museum-art-announces-landmark-bequest
Any "body language experts" on board here? I wouldn't trust Barron to give an accurate count of his fingers just from watching his inability to keep his eyes directed towards the questioner. Chancellor Gallagher from Pitt looked like he was amazed at the end of the clip when Barron was combining the new museum with the arboretum as "regional draws and bringing a high degree of interest to central Pennsylvania."
Quick math says 1370 people have to visit this pork 7 days a week to reach 500,000 annually. That's just crazy.
I wonder if he’s aware that all those kids in those school buses that he’s imagining will be streaming into State College can get into The Philadelphia Museum of Art for free?
lol...
Maybe there is a statue laying around somewhere that would draw some interest....
The robber barron is a nitwit and only worried about building on his legacy and getting out before the student aid bubble bursts. The penn state business plan is not sustainable and this project is just another example of their irrational exuberance. Spend, spend, spend. Hire, hire, hire.... What about his royal garden that’s currently being built? I’m in tourism and there is no way that type of visitation will take place in SC. None. Not even that many students will visit it. Oh, and how about the $60m parking lot? The Pitt President looked very amused.
PSU paid a consultant to get the outcome they wanted. I'm shocked. The University wants to pay for a new art museum, and turn the old art museum in to... wait for it... classrooms.
This sounds like a Pitt grad came up with the master plan. Add more stuff to do, like museums, so football attendance suffers.
This sounds like a Pitt grad came up with the master plan. Add more stuff to do, like museums, so football attendance suffers.
They should sell it to fund the museum.
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