Dancing in the dark

by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet • July 21, 2008 • Over the past few days, roiling stormclouds have accompanied rumbles in (and among) the arts leadership on both sides of the Mississippi.

On Friday, the Minnesota Museum of American Art announced that Bruce A. Lilly will be leaving the St. Paul institution after 11 years as executive director. A search for his replacement is currently underway. Lilly’s tenure saw remarkable growth at the MMAA, including the establishment of a permanent space and the inaguration of Patio Nights—a music series that takes advantage of the museum’s premium riverside real estate. (See the Daily Planet reviews of Awesome Snakes and the Spaghetti Western String Band on the MMAA patio.)

Arts Orbit is a multisource blog about the local arts scene, featuring both original contributions by Daily Planet writers and entries reprinted from partner blogs and online publications.

Further up the river, Jeff Bartlett is no longer artistic director of the Southern Theater. The circumstances of his departure are murky, and the dance community is in an uproar over what many see as the unjustified ouster of a man who has done a great deal to foster the health and diversity of the local dance scene. It certainly looks ugly, but the Southern’s board is citing the need for financial and organizational stability. “The Southern can,” it said in a rather ominous public statement, “assure the community that its actions were in no way a surprise to Jeff Bartlett, and that he is aware of the reasons that are associated with his current leave.”

Another uncomfortable void in local arts leadership comes with the resignation of Stewart Turnquist, a 31-year staffer at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and coordinator of the important Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program. MIA staff hashed over the situtation at a public meeting Saturday morning; watch for Mason Riddle’s Daily Planet report, which will appear this week. In the meantime, see critic Michael Fallon’s blog for more about these and numerous other recent “defections, failures, and collapses” at local arts organizations. If you’ve been waiting for your opportunity to buy a house, or to leave your job and follow your dream of running an art museum of international renown, now is the time!