Sometimes a little nagging is a good thing, even if it’s done at an inconvenient time. Heaven knows that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has had its hands full this fall opening its Art of the Americas wing. Nonetheless, in October, the Boston Phoenix ranted about the MFA’s failure to award the Maud Morgan Prize, intended to shine a light on Massachusetts women artists. It was last given in 2006.
Last week, the Phoenix reported that the MFA had announced that it will reinstate the $5,000 prize next year.
The Phoenix‘s Greg Cook, who did the nagging, had help, and he acknowledges it:
The move comes in response to a column I published here on October 6, which prompted Roslindale portrait painter Laura Chasman, who won the prize in 2001, to e-mail MFA director Malcolm Rogers about how much she missed the prize program. “His response was immediate, and it was simply ‘I appreciate your thoughtful e-mail,’ and it was CC’d to the curators,” Chasman says.
Then on November 20, a local artist and donor to the prize fund (who asked to remain anonymous here for fear of offending certain powers-that-be) e-mailed 50 women urging them to contact Rogers.
Then, last Wednesday, the Boston Globe weighed in, adding to the pressure (with a really striking photo to illustrate the article, btw).
It’s not just about the money, which is how the MFA tried to portray it (discontinued because of low funds) — it’s about the attention the winning artist receives.
The last award went to Ambreen Butt, whose work (above) was displayed in the MFA’s lower rotunda; one of her works was added to the permanent collection.
Good for Cook for agitating, though there’s one caveat: As he wrote, “Of course, the MFA told me last year that they’d reinstitute the award in 2010, only to postpone it again. Let’s hope they keep their word this time.”
Amen to that.
Photo Credit: Courtesy MFA, Boston