Next Steps
After I resigned from the Wood board because money continued to be withdrawn from the trust funds and used for operating expenses, I consulted with my attorney and drafted a letter detailing my concerns, which he then forwarded to the VT Attorney General.
During the six weeks following that, I have gathered a core group and we have decided to go public. We will have a WEB site, a Facebook page and a campaign for spreading information and gathering support. We need to do these things in order to stop the continuing sale of the entrusted art and using the proceeds for operating expenses.
I am hoping that members of the public will join in support of this effort by visiting the WEB site and signing the petition found there. The Facebook page is available for public discussion and also is a way to update the public on the progress of this movement.
Please sign our petition, post your opinion and follow us on Facebook Get involved by submitting your contact information on our contact page.
Additionally, an effort is being made to become a national presence representing other groups with similar issues. We want to provide them a way to find help organizing local groups as well as assisting them in seeking financial support from our benefactor.
We are currently supporting “SAVE THE ART at the Berkshire Museum of Natural History and Art” in Pittsfield MA and we invite you to check out their Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/savetheartsavethemuseum/.
I am pleased to announced that we are a movement now and will have our first meeting with the sole purpose of a friendly gathering of ethical like minded individuals at The Cornerstone Pub and Kitchen | 47 North Main Street, Barre, VT 802-476-2121 on February 3rd 2017 2-4pm
The following letter was printed and mailed to sixty seven legislators attached was the names of all signers with those in their district highlighted in yellow.
Street
City, VT Zip
02/09/2018
Dear Legislator’s Name,
I am forwarding to you a Petition that originated three months ago. All signatures were collected from announcements made on the WEB and not by any personal contact; as such they represent true moral and ethical concerns and were not signed for any personal gain. Your constituents have been highlighted in Yellow
“We call upon all state legislators to clarify the law governing the sale of artwork that is part of a collection owned by not-for-profit museums.
There is a need to make directors and officers responsible and aware that when art from the collection is sold, the proceeds can only be used to acquire new art for the collection or invested in tangible assets and in no way may they be used for operating expenses or as collateral for loans to cover operating expenses.
We also support expanding the above to protect all gifts and donations given to not-for-profits for a specific purpose from being raided by a board redefining the purpose for which the funds were collected and spending it on other activities.”
This action was initiated because of continuing actions of the T W Wood Gallery A Museum of American Art located at 46 Barre Street, Montpelier Vermont. They have previously sold over $400,000 worth and continue to sell art from their collection to private owners to cover operating expenses and for the promotion of local artists who personally profit from the sale of their works.
In most States, there is a distinction between Board Members and Trustees: Board Members collect and spend funds to support their stated mission whereas Trustees oversee the collection of funds and other assets for a specific purpose and are held accountable when those funds or assets are spent for a different purpose. This action is generally called misfeasance, versus malfeasance which is when one personally profits from the mismanagement of funds. Vermont law currently protects board members from all claims except in cases of misfeasance as in the extreme example of the Wood’s activities which are conducted without membership approval. They have continually reelected themselves year after year without calling for a membership vote, thereby avoiding any chance that their actions could be questioned or that they could even be replaced.
In short, Vermont needs to make provisions to protect restricted contributions by declaring that Board Members with control over restricted funds are Trustees and liable under the definition of misfeasance. In addition the Attorney General needs to have the power to hold Board elections when the organization fails to do so.
All details can be found at our WEB site;
all discussions are on the Facebook site;
https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheArtUS/
Sincerely
Charles P Green
325 Brook RD, Middlesex, VT 05602 – 802-229-0910 – [email protected]