Clarification on UIMA/Figge Relationship

An article in Wednesday's Quad City Times mistakenly characterized the UIMA's relationship with the Figge Art Museum. Here, Figge Art Museum Executive Director Sean O'Harrow responds:

Inaccuracies in recent press reports have led to confusion about the relationship between the (Figge) and the University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA). I would like to take this opportunity to clarify.

As clearly outlined in the signed Letter of Intent and the subsequent signed contract between the two institutions, the relationship between the Figge and the UIMA is temporary. From the Letter of Intent: “The University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) and the Figge Art Museum (Figge) agree on a temporary arrangement (time to be determined) that will include exhibiting and storing the UIMA’s collection at the Figge in Davenport, Iowa."

We are all working toward the day that the UIMA has a new museum to serve the population of the University of Iowa, Iowa City and the State of Iowa. In the interim, the Figge staff is hard at work — arranging our exhibition and storage spaces, moving our exhibitions and our work schedules — to accommodate the exhibition and storage of the UIMA collection. We see this as a tremendous opportunity to not only help the UIMA in the current crisis, but also to develop our relationship with a fellow Iowa art museum. The storage and display of the UIMA’s collection in Davenport will be temporary, but we hope that the relationships we develop with the UIMA staff will last far into the future.

Sean O’Harrow
Executive Director
Figge Art Museum
225 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA