Monday, August 04, 2014

Detroit Bankruptcy - An Update Summer 2014

I have highlighted below the segments that I believe to be of greatest interest. Skimming the rest will give you an idea of how complicated this bankruptcy is with so many competing agendas. I still don't believe that DIA is secure - especially with that new appraised value of the collection at nearly 8.5 billion dollars.

WASHINGTON (AFP).- The Detroit Institute of Arts said Monday that the three largest US automakers have pledged $26 million to save bankrupt Detroit's world-class collection of art for the public.
General Motors and Ford Motor pledged $10 million each while Chrysler, smaller than the other two, pledged $6.0 million to help the DIA avoid having to sell off paintings by Degas, Cezanne
and others to pay the city's debts.
The money from the Detroit Big Three will go toward the $100 million the institute committed to raise in an agreement with mediators of the city's "grand bargain" bankruptcy restructuring.
"This exemplary leadership, along with that of other donors yet to participate in this critically important initiative, will provide the additional momentum and excitement necessary for the
DIA to satisfy its $100 million grand bargain pledge," said Eugene Gargaro, DIA board chairman, in a statement.

DETROIT

2:30 PM, Aug. 1, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood The Detroit News
Appeals court freezes Detroit bankruptcy appeals
At the request of Detroit's creditors, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday froze pending appeals related to the city's eligibility for bankruptcy and ability to reduce pensions.

11:23 PM, Jul. 31, 2014
BUSINESS
By Daniel Howes
Detroit narratives don't tell real story
A Michigan-born friend who lives in New York City now loves to remind me that few cities fascinate the Big Apple and its media more than Detroit, especially once its dysfunction became the epicenter of American bankruptcy.

7:34 PM, Jul. 31, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood The Detroit News
Creditor groups ask federal court to delay action on Detroit bankruptcy appeals
Five major Detroit creditor groups representing pensioners joined the city and State of Michigan on Thursday in asking a federal court to delay action on appeals or risk jeopardizing the bankruptcy 'grand bargain.'

11:41 PM, Jul. 30, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Appeals court wary of Syncora bid to block Detroit casino cash
Cincinnati A panel of federal appeals court judges Wednesday had some criticism for a bond insurer's bid to block Detroit from accessing casino revenue, with one judge calling the creditor's efforts 'fairly Draconian.'

10:48 AM, Jul. 30, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Detroit drops proposal for bankruptcy 'plan monitor'
The city dropped plans late Tuesday to install a court-appointed official to oversee compliance with Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr's plan to shed more than $7 billion in debt.

4:37 PM, Jul. 29, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Detroit City Council rejects Orr request for bids on parking department
The City Council on Tuesday turned down a request from Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to solicit proposals from bidders interested in running or buying Detroit's municipal parking department.

11:57 PM, Jul. 29, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood and Robert Snell The Detroit News
Judge sets Thursday deadline for bankruptcy eligibility challenges
A federal appeals court judge late Tuesday challenged creditors to decide within 48 hours if they'll continue to contest Detroit's eligibility for bankruptcy and its plan to cut pensions.

9:06 PM, Jul. 29, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Trial on Detroit debt-cutting plan delayed by another week
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes on Tuesday delayed by another week the trial over Detroit's debt-cutting bankruptcy exit plan.

*8:35 PM, Jul. 27, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Michael H. Hodges Detroit News Fine Arts Writer
Report for Detroit creditor nearly doubles value of DIA collection at $8.5B
Detroit A new report analyzing the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts almost doubles previous estimates of what the works are worth, putting their value at $8.5 billion. An earlier report put the value of the museum's 66,000 objects somewhere between $2.76 billion and $4.6 billion.

11:15 PM, Jul. 25, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell and Chad Livengood The Detroit News
Revised Detroit debt plan calls for 'plan monitor' with subpoena power
Detroit could be under prolonged and apparently unprecedented court oversight if the city successfully emerges from bankruptcy court this fall, according to a plan proposed Friday.

11:57 PM, Jul. 25, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By David Shepardson Detroit News Washington Bureau
Moody's: Troubled Michigan cities may follow Detroit Chapter 9 plan
Moody's Investors Service says a successful resolution of Detroit's Chapter 9 bankruptcy restructuring may prompt other financially troubled Michigan cities to follow suit.

11:30 PM, Jul. 22, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell, Chad Livengood and Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Bond insurers grow 'more isolated' in opposition to Detroit's 'grand bargain'
Detroit — Bond insurers say they'll continue fighting the city's plan to dump $7 billion in debt and favor pensioners over financial creditors, but chances are they'll ...

10:49 AM, Jul. 22, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood and David Shepardson The Detroit News
Detroit's debt-cutting plan gets big but not complete support
Retired and current workers have officially approved modest reductions in their pensions — a feat that seemed inconceivable a year ago when Detroit took ...

*9:44 AM, Jul. 19, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Trading gavel for guitar, Detroit bankruptcy judge Rhodes doesn't miss a beat
Detroit The 29-song setlist is packed with tunes to go broke to. There's 'Gimme Some Lovin'' for impaired creditors and 'Keep Your Hands to Yourself,' for secured ...

9:17 PM, Jul. 18, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Creditor again asks judge to delay Detroit bankruptcy trial
Detroit A holdout creditor asked Detroit's bankruptcy judge late Friday to delay a trial over the city's plan to cut $7 billion in debt until late September.

10:12 AM, Jul. 18, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Darren A. Nichols and Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Detroit services improving, but neighborhoods slow to see change
City services are starting to improve one year after Detroit filed the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy. But residents and city officials agree ...

5:48 PM, Jul. 17, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Macomb drainage district seeks bigger claim in Detroit bankruptcy
Detroit — The city's bankruptcy judge is expected to decide Monday on a Macomb County creditor's request to increase the value of its claim, a move that could ...

8:24 AM, Jul. 17, 2014
BUSINESS
By Daniel Howes
First year of Detroit's bankruptcy could have been much worse
There will be no celebrations at 4:06 p.m. Friday, only quiet acknowledgment that the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history is marking its first ...

10:53 PM, Jul. 16, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood The Detroit News
Firefighters union seeks to stop Detroit restructuring over bargaining rights
Detroit The city's last remaining major labor union that hasn't reached a contract deal in bankruptcy was in court Wednesday arguing Detroit's changes to pensions for ...

*10:35 PM, Jul. 16, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Michael H. Hodges Detroit News Fine Arts Writer
DIA secures 80% of its part of grand bargain
The Detroit Institute of Arts announced Wednesday that it's secured commitments for 80 percent of the $100 million the museum is responsible for raising as ...

6:22 PM, Jul. 15, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Detroit residents plead with judge to keep pensions, benefits intact
More than a dozen retirees and Detroit residents urged the city's bankruptcy judge Tuesday to spare pensions and health care benefits from being cut and one ...

6:52 PM, Jul. 14, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Detroit ordered to pay $10K for sharing confidential documents
The bankrupt city was ordered Monday to pay $10,000 for inadvertently sharing confidential documents about closed-door negotiations among creditors.

10:44 AM, Jul. 12, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell and David Shepardson The Detroit News
Sources: Detroit's debt-cutting plan headed for approval by retirees
The city's $7 billion debt-cutting plan appeared to have the support of Detroit retirees on Friday after early returns showed pensioners favoring the proposal ...

10:24 PM, Jul. 10, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell and Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Detroit plans $7 billion debt cut in bankruptcy
Detroit A consultant working on Detroit's restructuring will pocket a $28 million bonus if the city successfully emerges from the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. ...

6:33 PM, Jul. 10, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Candice Williams The Detroit News
8 arrested during protest over Detroit water shut-offs
Detroit police arrested eight people Thursday for misdemeanor disorderly conduct as they protested against the city's water shut-off policy.

*10:05 PM, Jul. 9, 2014
BUSINESS
By Daniel Howes
New DIA art evaluation is unlikely to unravel 'grand bargain'
The DIA is not home free. Not after a valuation of its prodigious collection concluded the museum’s 60,000-piece collection could be worth as much as $4.6B.

*2:50 PM, Jul. 9, 2014
ENTERTAINMENT
VISUAL ARTS + FESTIVALS
By Michael H. Hodges Detroit News Fine Arts Writer
Report: Total value of DIA art ranges from $1.1B to $4.6B
A New York art investment firm brought in to appraise the full collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts puts its total value between $1.1 billion and $4.6 ...

11:02 PM, Jul. 8, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell and David Shepardson The Detroit News
Detroit reaches key labor deal with police union amid bankruptcy
The city reached an agreement late Tuesday with a key police union that could speed the city's exit from bankruptcy and shorten next month's trial over ...

8:28 PM, Jul. 3, 2014
BUSINESS
By Daniel Howes
Detroit needs deal with creditors, not victory
If the city's obvious pressure campaign doesn't produce the negotiated settlement its lawyers seek, they could find their client with a victory it does not ...

9:05 PM, Jul. 3, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Detroit bankruptcy hearing set as deadline for voting on pension, benefit cuts nears
Detroit — Retirees and other creditors have until Friday to vote on proposed pension and benefit cuts that could help Detroit emerge from bankruptcy court and ...

4:11 PM, Jul. 3, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Lawyers subpoena bank involved in Kilpatrick pension deal
The city's bankruptcy team demanded answers today about how a former Kwame Kilpatrick appointee who helped engineer an infamous $1.4 billion pension deal left ...

4:52 PM, Jul. 2, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Detroit bankruptcy lawyers probe award for Kilpatrick pension deal
Detroit — The city's bankruptcy team wants to know how and why a prominent financial trade publication gave the city an award in 2005 for an infamous pension ...

6:13 PM, Jul. 1, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Michigan Chronicle publisher seeks to give building to Detroit pension fund
Detroit — Detroit's largest African-American media company is seeking to hand over its headquarters building to a city pension fund to resolve a complicated ...

11:36 PM, Jun. 30, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood The Detroit News
Detroit retirees get option to repay excess interest in one lump sum
Detroit retirees in the General Retirement System will be able to repay excess interest earnings credited to their retirement savings accounts by making a lump ...

10:58 PM, Jun. 27, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
AFSCME, Orr sign contracts that include pay increase for workers
Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and a bankruptcy mediator joined the city's largest labor union today to sign contracts that call for a pay increase and were ...

11:11 PM, Jun. 26, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Darren A. Nichols The Detroit News
Online house auction raises $1M so far for Detroit
Detroit — The city's plan to auction abandoned homes in neighborhoods has raised more than $1 million in revenue, city officials said Thursday.

6:09 PM, Jun. 26, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Detroit's largest city employee union ratifies five-year contract
Detroit — The city's largest union and several others announced Thursday they have ratified a five-year contract negotiated on the sidelines of Detroit's ...

6:09 PM, Jun. 25, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Brian J. O’Connor and Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
State sells $185M in bonds for new Detroit streetlights
The state successfully sold $185 million in new bonds Wednesday to help pay for 55,000 new streetlights in Detroit.

5:59 PM, Jun. 24, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Lawyer: Creditors want to shield judge from Detroit's 'human reality'
Holdout creditors are trying to keep U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes from seeing the real Detroit — the good, the bad and the ugly — by protesting his ...

10:17 AM, Jun. 24, 2014
POLITICS+GOVERNMENT
POLITICS-STATE
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Snyder casts yes ballot to accept partial payment from bankrupt Detroit
Detroit The state of Michigan cast its first ballots as a creditor on claims outlined in the debt-cutting plan in Detroit's historic bankruptcy.

11:12 PM, Jun. 24, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
City attorney: Detroiters should 'stand up and say no' to EM process
Detroit — An attorney for the city cried foul Tuesday over ordinance amendments tied to a new hybrid pension plan being imposed by Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr.

5:59 PM, Jun. 23, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Creditor continues fight for retirees' personal financial data
A holdout creditor said Monday it sympathizes with retirees who face cuts in Detroit's bankruptcy case but still wants access to the personal financial ...

11:26 PM, Jun. 20, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Darren A. Nichols and Chad Livengood The Detroit News
Snyder signs 'grand bargain' legislation amid fanfare
Calling it 'an important milestone' in Detroit's comeback, Gov. Rick Snyder this morning signed legislation that adds $195 million in state aid to a pool of ...

7:26 PM, Jun. 20, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Detroit bankruptcy creditor seeks to grill Snyder in court
A bond insurer facing losses of up to $1.1 billion in Detroit's bankruptcy wants to depose Gov. Rick Snyder under oath about his role in facilitating a deal to ...

6:35 PM, Jun. 19, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Detroit fights creditor's request for city retirees' personal information
Detroit's bankruptcy attorneys want a judge to block an aggressive creditor from gaining access to the personal financial information of 20,000 retired city ...

11:48 PM, Jun. 19, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti and Darren A. Nichols The Detroit News
Police, fire board pushes yes vote
Detroit — The city's Police and Fire Retirement System voted Thursday to endorseDetroit's debt-cutting plan and will send letters to individual members recommending ...

10:45 PM, Jun. 18, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Detroit moves to hybrid pension plan for city employees
City employees will see deductions in their paychecks beginning next month as Detroit moves to implement a new hybrid pension plan, the emergency manager's ...

11:33 PM, Jun. 17, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Creditors: Bankruptcy judge's tour of Detroit could be dangerous
Holdout creditors want to block Detroit's lawyers from taking U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes on a tour of the city, arguing security could be jeopardized ...

2:18 PM, Jun. 17, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Schuette approves 'grand bargain' for Detroit bankruptcy
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette on Tuesday approved a $661 million plan to bolster pensions and protect the Detroit Institute of Arts collection from ...

*7:13 PM, Jun. 16, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Detroit council gives final OK to transfer DIA assets to trust
Detroit The City Council today gave its final approval of a bankruptcy plan to transfer the assets of the Detroit Institute of Arts to an irrevocable trust in exchange ...

11:53 AM, Jun. 13, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Lawyer accuses Detroit creditor of harassing foundations
A holdout creditor is trying to annoy, oppress and harass several foundations because they are contributing millions of dollars to bolster pensions and protect ...

4:14 PM, Jun. 13, 2014
POLITICS+GOVERNMENT
POLITICS-NATIONAL
By David Shepardson The Detroit News
White House Detroit adviser getting job with VP's office
Washington — The White House point person on Detroit is getting a new high-profile job with Vice President Joe Biden.

11:48 PM, Jun. 12, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Police and Fire Retirement System trustees delay vote on bankruptcy plan
Detroit After more than three hours of closed talks Thursday, the city's Police and Fire Retirement System postponed for a week a vote on whether to back Detroit's ...

10:20 PM, Jun. 11, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Darren A. Nichols The Detroit News
Detroit's general retiree board votes to approve debt-cutting plan
Detroit The General Retirement System board voted to endorse Detroit's bankruptcy plan of adjustment Wednesday and urged its retirees to affirm the plan to prevent ...

10:19 PM, Jun. 11, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Duggan: Yes vote on bankruptcy plan 'not a complicated decision'
Detroit — Mayor Mike Duggan on Wednesday encouraged Detroit retirees to support the city's debt-cutting bankruptcy plan, noting without it $820 million in ...

*11:23 AM, Jun. 11, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Schuette seeks to quash subpoena related to DIA art sale
Attorney General Bill Schuette wants to block a holdout Detroit creditor from questioning him about a legal opinion that the Detroit Institute of Arts ...

5:58 PM, Jun. 10, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Creditor rips Detroit's 'grand bargain' in scathing court filing
Detroit A holdout creditor ripped the 'grand bargain,' Detroit's public-relations spin and federal mediators in a scathing court filing Tuesday.

5:55 PM, Jun. 9, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
DIA hopes $26M commitment from Detroit automakers fuels more giving
The Detroit Institute of Arts announced Monday a $26 million commitment from Detroit automakers toward the museum's $100 million share of a fund to aid city ...

10:54 PM, Jun. 6, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Chad Livengood, Daniel Howes and David Shepardson The Detroit News
Automakers to contribute $26M to DIA's share of 'grand bargain'
The Detroit Institute of Arts is expected to announce Monday that the city's hometown automakers will contribute about $26 million toward the museum's $100 ...

5:07 PM, Jun. 5, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Council votes to transfer DIA assets to trust
The City Council today voted to endorse Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr's plan to transfer assets of the Detroit Institute of Arts to an irrevocable trust in ...

10:55 PM, Jun. 6, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Detroit retirees split on plan to cut pensions
Detroit — A divided crowd filed out of Fellowship Chapel Thursday, some vowing a fight, others saying they will likely concede to pension cuts as part of Detroit's ...

11:17 PM, Jun. 4, 2014
POLITICS+GOVERNMENT
POLITICS-STATE
By Chad Livengood, Christine Ferretti and Robert Snell The Detroit News
Gov tries to seal bankruptcy deal with Detroit retirees
Gov. Rick Snyder had a message today for other distressed municipalities that might ask the state for cash in light of an unprecedented rescue package for ...

12:58 PM, Jun. 4, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Robert Snell The Detroit News
Creditors seek to delay Detroit bankruptcy trial until fall
Detroit — A group of holdout creditors wants to delay a trial over the city's debt-cutting plan by two months, a request that threatens to delay Detroit's ...

5:49 PM, Jun. 4, 2014
METRO AND STATE
Wayne County
By Christine Ferretti The Detroit News
Police and fire retirees have questions, concerns about Detroit bankruptcy plan
Detroit — The city's Police and Fire Retirement System on Wednesday fielded hours of questions from a crowd of several hundred that packed the IBEW Hall on ...

8:52 AM, Jun. 4, 2014
POLITICS+GOVERNMENT
POLITICS-STATE
By Chad Livengood Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Detroit's 'grand bargain' sweeps ahead
The Michigan Senate on Tuesday greenlighted the state's participation in Detroit's bankruptcy 'grand bargain,' approving $195 million in aid for Detroit ...

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/99999999/METRO01/130718001#ixzz39QuWgl6A

Legislation Introduced in Congress to Stop Federal Ban on Decades-old Legal Ivory

Legislation to stop the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) from seriously harming millions of Americans by unnecessarily restricting interstate commerce of legal ivory and products containing legal ivory was introduced in both the House and the Senate. Representatives Steve Daines (MT) and Jeff Miller (FL-01) sponsored H.R. 5052, and Senator Lamar Alexander (TN) sponsored S. 2587. These bills complement a recent House appropriations bill that enables the Administration to protect African elephants and other wildlife from poaching while stopping USFWS from needlessly punishing innocent Americans.
Both bills are carefully tailored to allow the Administration to combat African elephant poaching and criminal organizations that sell illicit ivory in China. The bills protect innocent Americans who have complied with existing import prohibitions on antiques and the large stocks of ivory that have been in the United States for over 25 years.
Sen. Alexander said, "the Obama administration's announced plan to limit the trade of legal ivory—such as that found in legally produced guitars, pianos, and firearms — could prohibit musicians from buying or selling instruments that contain ivory, prevent firearms and family heirlooms containing ivory from being sold, and pose a significant threat to antique businesses."
Rep. Daines said, "[m]any Montana families own ivory-containing firearms or musical instruments that have been passed down from generation to generation and represent an important part of their way of life or heritage. This legislation will protect law-abiding citizens who own an antique firearm, instrument, or other family heirloom that happens to contain ivory from the Director’s Order, which only punishes law-abiding Americans instead of seriously addressing the real problem of elephant poaching."
Both bills would prohibit the USFWS from implementing any new rule, order, or standard regarding the sale and trade in ivory that wasn't in place prior to Feb. 25, 2014. That is the date a Director's Order initiated a process which would essentially make criminals of anyone who sells or trades ivory or any item containing even the smallest amount of ivory, such as ivory inlays or minor embellishments on larger pieces, even though the item or the ivory in it was legally imported into the U.S. decades prior to the existing bans. The new Administration policy would devalue billions of dollars of legal property from tens of millions of law-abiding Americans, essentially an unconstitutional government taking.
Existing import restrictions that have been in place for 25 years exemplify the U.S. world leadership in protecting elephants by stopping illegal ivory from entering our country. Virtually all the trade in poached ivory occurs in China. The USFWS' and world bodies’ extensive monitoring of illegal ivory shows that illegal ivory trade into the U.S. is not significant, and when found, is aggressively prosecuted. This legislation would stop USFWS from wasting resources on prosecuting innocent Americans and focus on criminals in Africa and Asia.
The Elephant Protection Association condemns the illegal slaughter of elephants and supports practical efforts to stop elephant poaching and trade in illegal ivory, but the Administration's effort to outlaw legal ivory that has been in the U.S. for decades will not save a single elephant. The Administration has not shown any evidence that this policy will change demand for ivory in Asia which fuels poaching in Africa. The only thing that is clear is that this ban unfairly impacts millions of law-abiding Americans by ignoring the Constitution, constructively seizing billions of dollars’ worth of property, and destroying culturally significant art.

recent news about the ivory ban

It is important to be informed on this ivory issue that extends far beyond ivory itself. The government actions in the past in attacking your rights to own legally obtained property should be opposed by all regardless of political affiliation. We will continue to follow this issue.. stay current by coming here and going to

http://www.elephantprotection.org/

My Word - Summer 2014

First and on a positive note I want to thank you all for your kind words of encouragement for my efforts on this blog and newsletter. While it is a labor that I enjoy, it is also therapy. Even though I was reasonably successful as a Naval officer many years ago, I seem to have acquired a resistance to authority. This problem seems to be exacerbated by the stupidity or the self serving agenda by the party imposing their authority. I will grant you that I have my perspective which hopefully will inspire some readers to do some research and find the answers on their own. We are all being challenged more each day on our freedom to choose our own path whether that be in the arts or in our daily lives. I finds it frustrating when I need to explain to a client that the U.S. government sees absolutely no difference in their 19th century African ivory mask and a common bangle made in 1998 in Kenya. Its disappointing when you see the government spending hundreds of thousands of dollars busting a collector in Indiana who openly gave tours of his collection. We still haven't heard a thing from Homeland Security or the FBI who conducted that raids last April on this man. Why hasn't there been some follow up on the 4 Corners bust when the federal government spent an enormous amount of money trying to prove that a multi million dollar prehistoric pottery black market even exists. I don't bring my personal politics into this Newsletter because it is irrelevant, but one can't help acknowledging that art does in this case imitate life.

In this issue the ivory update is important. Also please read the piece on the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The issues being debated in this case are the core of a broader consideration of how we should handle patrimony issues in general.

Finally I again encourage everyone to sign up for the Committee for Cultural Policy newsletter at

http://committeeforculturalpolicy.org/

To end on a positive note. This summer's Roadshow tour has been great. We have now completed shows in Bismark, Santa Clara, Austin, Birmingham, Albuquerque, and Chicago with only New York and Charleston, West Virginia left. Follow our progress on social media where we have documented our finds with photos and video. In Birmingham we shot a segment at the museum which should air after January 2015. This Fall they plan to air the segment from the McClung museum in Knoxville where we appraised some of the great Mississippian prehistoric treasures.

The Internet and the Arts - Summer 2014

Comments: There are some amazing things happening on the internet as younger buyers feel more comfortable in dealing digitally. The Vogue article below and Sothebys and Ebay working together are things to watch.

1. LONDON.- Second round of funding finalised for Vastari: Using the internet to share art securely with museums. Led by an all-female team, Vastari is a unique online platform designed to connect collectors and curators for exhibition loans. Founded in 2013, Vastari has already registered over 150 museums, including five of the top ten most visited worldwide, and has access to over 400,000 separate works. The company has just completed the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator Programme, which has given them access to enterprise customers and support from top industry leaders. Moreover, Vastari is proud to announce the completion of a significant investment by Jenson Funding Partners via their Jenson Seed EIS Fund 2 in order to facilitate the next phase of growth for the business.
http://artdaily.com/news/70512/Second-round-of-funding-finalised-for-Vastari--Using-the-internet-to-share-art-securely-with-museums-#.U8BBMFfb4Sk

2. OTTAWA.- The National Gallery of Canada launched today a free mobile application highlighting 52 remarkable artworks from its collection of Canadian art. Art lovers will now be able to browse rich, exclusive content right in the palm of their hand, with in-depth descriptions of each work, artists’ biographies, video interviews with artists, and much more. Sponsored by Bell, the application is available on iOS or Android tablets and phones. Users can share images through e-cards, Facebook and Twitter.
“New technologies are helping to make the visual arts more universally accessible. Browsing the National Gallery’s Canadian art collection with our new mobile application offers a deepened experience for our visitors,” said NGC director Marc Mayer. “Moreover, thanks to Bell, those who are unable to enjoy these artworks in person can now access them from wherever they are.”
http://artdaily.com/news/70589/New-mobile-application-highlights-National-Gallery-of-Canada-s-Canadian-art-collection-#.U8Ae4Vfb4Sk

3. LONDON.- Second round of funding finalised for Vastari: Using the internet to share art securely with museums. Led by an all-female team, Vastari is a unique online platform designed to connect collectors and curators for exhibition loans. Founded in 2013, Vastari has already registered over 150 museums, including five of the top ten most visited worldwide, and has access to over 400,000 separate works. The company has just completed the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator Programme, which has given them access to enterprise customers and support from top industry leaders. Moreover, Vastari is proud to announce the completion of a significant investment by Jenson Funding Partners via their Jenson Seed EIS Fund 2 in order to facilitate the next phase of growth for the business.
http://artdaily.com/news/70512/Second-round-of-funding-finalised-for-Vastari--Using-the-internet-to-share-art-securely-with-museums-#.U8BBMFfb4Sk

4. OTTAWA.- The National Gallery of Canada launched today a free mobile application highlighting 52 remarkable artworks from its collection of Canadian art. Art lovers will now be able to browse rich, exclusive content right in the palm of their hand, with in-depth descriptions of each work, artists’ biographies, video interviews with artists, and much more. Sponsored by Bell, the application is available on iOS or Android tablets and phones. Users can share images through e-cards, Facebook and Twitter.
“New technologies are helping to make the visual arts more universally accessible. Browsing the National Gallery’s Canadian art collection with our new mobile application offers a deepened experience for our visitors,” said NGC director Marc Mayer. “Moreover, thanks to Bell, those who are unable to enjoy these artworks in person can now access them from wherever they are.”
http://artdaily.com/news/70589/New-mobile-application-highlights-National-Gallery-of-Canada-s-Canadian-art-collection-#.U8Ae4Vfb4Sk

5. NEW YORK, NY.- ArtBinder, the pioneering app that enables galleries to present artworks remotely using simple, intuitive tools, announced today that it has raised a total of $3.17 million in a Series A round led by Index Ventures. The investment will be used to expand the company’s latest product, ArtBinder Viewer, a free iPad app for browsing artists and galleries around the world, and will further enhance ArtBinder’s technology and infrastructure to support its rapidly growing roster of international clients.
“Alexandra and her team have quickly established ArtBinder as the platform of choice for a growing number of prestigious galleries, because it allows them to leverage the power of tablets and the cloud to show art to their clients in a very compelling and seamless way,” said Neil Rimer, partner at Index Ventures. “We are very excited to be supporting Artbinder and its mission.”

Since launching in September 2011, ArtBinder has attracted an ever-expanding client list, including over 300 of the most influential international galleries and dealers – among them David Zwirner, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, Hauser & Wirth, Gladstone Gallery, Lisson Gallery, and Pace – who use the product to streamline the sales, presentation and distribution experiences both within and beyond their gallery walls.
The app has naturally evolved to suit the demands of a growing number of collectors, artists and art institutions that use the technology to organize and manage their inventories. “I started ArtBinder while working as a gallery assistant in order to solve a rudimentary problem that existed within the industry,” said Chemla. “This new infusion of both capital and investors’ insight allows us to accelerate our technology, and to introduce product innovations that will increase efficiency for our clients in all aspects of their businesses.”
With the $3.17 million raised, Chemla plans to expand ArtBinder Viewer, which launches in summer 2014, making it an essential tool for galleries with which to promote their programming and interface with consumers.
Bruce Gibney, an early investor in PayPal said, “ArtBinder has provided a beautiful, efficient platform that allows galleries, artists, and collectors to discover and interact with each other - one that respects the needs and interests of all participants in the market. I look forward to continuing to work with Alexandra Chemla, one of the most driven founders I’ve met, to bring the Viewer and other new products to market in service of that goal.”
Additional investors include: Leon Black, CEO and Founder Apollo Global Management; Matt Cohler former VP of Product at Facebook; Adam Freed, former COO of Etsy; Bruce Gibney, former partner at Founders Fund; Ben Sontheimer, CEO of Vault Partners; collector and philanthropist Maria Baibakova; HRH Alia Al-Senussi; Julio Pekarovic, CFO at Quantcast; Abdullah Al-Turki; and David Rosenblatt, CEO of 1stdibs.com.
http://artdaily.com/news/71176/ArtBinder--the-leading-mobile-app-for-galleries--raises--3-17m-for-product-innovation-and-global-expansion#.U8BMOFfb4Sk

6. BEIJING The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has struck back using social media against what he sees as self-censorship when his name was omitted from a list of participating artists for a show at the Ullens Centre of Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing. In protest, the activist-artist has removed his work from the exhibition, organised to celebrate the work of the late curator Hans van Dijk, a champion of contemporary Chinese artists
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Ai-Weiwei-hits-back-at-alleged-censorship-using-social-media/32901

7. NEW YORK - Standing before Marc Quinn’s looming Myth Venus sculpture in front of Christie’s

Rockefeller headquarters last night was a masked protester holding a large poster that read F*** U. It was a parody of Wade Guyton’s 2005 Untitled that sold for $3.52 million just hours later at the live-streamed “If I Live I’ll See You Tuesday” auction, which included 35 contemporary artworks from blue-chip names such as Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, Martin Kippenberger and Alex Israel, all handpicked by contemporary art expert Loic Gouzer, with the majority of the production on his—and Christie’s—Instagram accounts.
Guyton, who makes his art on inkjet printers and photocopiers, had used his own Instagram account over the weekend in what was quickly interpreted as a subtle threat, rather than just a cheeky response, to the auction by printing and photographing dozens of prints using the same file that produced his original inkjet on linen Untitled. He could flood the market, if he wanted to. But he didn’t and the auction, which “witnessed worldwide participation” according to Christie’s and surpassed its pre-sale target of $92.9 million to total a record-breaking $134.6 million, saw Israel’s Sky Backdrop sell for five times its estimate at $1.25 million in what was the artist’s first appearance at auction. Meanwhile Kippenberger’s Untitled sold for the world record price of $18.6 million. “Christie’s is taking contemporary art and making it go to prices that it shouldn’t,” the anonymous protester told the New York Observer. “By the time they’re 30, these artists aren’t going to have anywhere to go.” But if Gouzer’s auction has taught us anything, it is that what artists will have is Instagram.
The social media platform is not only launching the career of under-the-radar artists, it is providing the world with an entirely new way to access art. Where artists once had to first get support of the art world elite—critics, galleries and big name collectors, which would eventually lead to museum shows—before reaching the monied masses, today artists use Instagram as their own virtual art gallery, playing both dealer and curator while their fans become critics and collectors, witnessing the creative process in real time.
“I can post a painting and it will sell before the paint is dry,” explained artist Ashley Longshore, whose glossy crystal-covered canvases are regularly bought straight off her Instagram feed for upwards of $30,000. The 37-year-old is based in New Orleans but will often ship her artworks directly from her Uptown studio to London, Tokyo, and Switzerland, where she recently sold a painting to His Serene Highness Pierre d’Arenberg for an undisclosed amount. “My collectors will text and email me their credit card details, they mail checks; it is literally a frenzy to see who can whip out their AmEx first!” admits Longshore, whose nearly 2,000 Instagram followers, and subsequent clients, include the likes of Blake Lively, the former President of Time Inc. Digital, Fran Hauser, and “one of the wives” of the Rolling Stones. “Technology is the platform of my business: All I need is my iPad, my Instagram and a delivery truck to haul all of this gorgeousness to the new homes where they will hang.”.... more
http://www.vogue.com/culture/article/buying-and-selling-art-on-instagram/?mbid=culture_20140513_23833534#1

8. NEW YORK, NY.- Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced today that more than 400,000 high-resolution digital images of public domain works in the Museum’s world-renowned collection may be downloaded directly from the Museum’s website for non-commercial use—including in scholarly publications in any media—without

permission from the Museum and without a fee. The number of available images will increase as new digital

files are added on a regular basis. launch of One Met. Many Worlds., a new interactive feature that is presented in 11 languages on the Museum’s website. One Met. Many Worlds allows visitors to explore more than 500 highlights from the Museum’s encyclopedic collection in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Through details of individual works of art linked to universal themes and concepts, One Met. Many Worlds. also invites visitors to respond by pairing images playfully, poetically, and creatively.
http://artdaily.com/news/70139/Metropolitan-Museum-initiative-provides-free-access-to-400-000-digital-images#.U8AuoFfb4Sk

9. NEW YORK - Sothebys and Ebay Again! The two auction giants had a failed partnership in 2003 but are trying again. Art dealer Sotheby’s on Monday unveiled a pact with eBay to host live New York auctions of art and collectibles in a bid to attract the online retailer’s 145 million active buyers. The companies will start offering a number of live auctions that will take place at Sotheby’s headquarters in New York. EBay, meanwhile, will soon launch a new portion of its site tailored for collectors of rare, unique and premium art and collectibles, as well as first-time buyers.
The partnership isn’t the first time Sotheby’s and eBay and sought to work together. Their first foray was a bit of a flop, as a bit to offer separate online auctions on Sothebys.com was discontinued in 2003. “There are simply not as many people prepared to buy authenticated fine art online as we had hoped, Sotheby’s CEO William Ruprecht told WSJ in 2003 when the auction house announced it would close its unprofitable joint online-auction venture with eBay. Fast forward to 2014, Sotheby’s says the timing is right to join the growing art world with new technology. “We believe there is a great opportunity, through this partnership, to truly make art more accessible to exponentially more collectors. That’s what makes this so exciting,” said Sotheby’s Chief Operating Officer Bruno Vinciguerra. Sotheby’s will be the key “anchor tenant” in the revamped marketplace eBay intends to unveil, which will include a new live auction feature and real-time bidding. The company said online bidders competed for 17% of the total lots it offered last year. In April of this year, a new record for an online purchase in a live auction at Sotheby’s was set when John James Audubon’s The Birds of America sold for $3.5 million.
http://fortune.com/2014/07/14/sothebys-bid-on-ebay-pact/