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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/15968/full/15968/magnes-s-f-museum-on-brink-of-merger/ <br /><br /> <b>Magnes, S.F. museum on brink of merger</b> <br /> Friday, July 13, 2001 | by <p>ALEZA GOLDSMITH </p> <br /><br /><p>Berkeley's Judah L. Magnes Museum and the Jewish Museum San Francisco are close to merging.<br /><br /> The board of directors of each institution gave tentative approval to the merger at the end of last month, and the executive committees of each board are likely to give their final approval in a week.<br /><br /> It could take several months until the process is completed, however.<br /><br /> The combined institution is to be named the Magnes Museum—after the San Francisco-born rabbi who pioneered much of modern Jewish life and education—and will manage facilities from both museums, including a proposed new Yerba Buena Gardens site.<br /><br /> A merger had been discussed years ago, several times, but plans always fell through. This time, however, the 10-member board of the Jewish Museum "unanimously, unconditionally and very enthusiastically endorsed this proposal" said the S.F. museum's director and chief executive officer, Connie Wolf, of the June 26 vote.<br /><br /> The Magnes board, which met two days later, was also "significantly for the merger," with a vote of 9 to 1 in favor, according to that museum's executive director, Susan Morris.<br /><br /> "Instead of the notion to divide and conquer, the idea is to put two things together," said Wolf. "If there is to be an institution in this community, here to inspire and excite people in Jewish art, culture and history, then everyone should be a part of it."<br /><br /> It is unclear whether Wolf or Morris will individually direct a combined venture, whether they will co-direct it, or whether a national search will be conducted to find a new person to run the new museum.<br /><br /> As with any major business deal that has been on the table before, timing is the key factor for the anticipated green light.<br /><br /> Morris said the approaching capital campaigns of both institutions, which will become a single fund-raising drive, made the merger "seem and feel right" this time around, and Wolf cited the recent changes in leadership as a primary reason.<br /><br /> If the museums do indeed join forces, so will their collections, staff and capital campaigns. Exact details are still being worked out, and ultimately will be up to the new Magnes Museum's board, which is expected to be an amalgamation of both existing boards.<br /><br /> Wolf and Morris agreed, however, that the current $100 million campaign of the Jewish Museum and $46 campaign of the Magnes would be significantly reduced for the single drive.<br /><br /> "There is a financial efficiency in the way resources can be shared, and fund-raising will become much more manageable," noted Wolf. "Besides, it wasn't really appropriate to ask the Jewish community to support $146 million."<br /><br /> Endowments and gifts already pledged, according to both museum directors, will be honored by the donors. To head off potential defections, the two have been in direct and frequent contact with contributors. Especially sensitive is the name change: The new one will not include the word "Jewish."<br /><br /> But the boards agreed "the name Magnes conveys and honors history," said Morris. He "really stands for the strength of scholarship, a relationship to the West, and embracing the past, present and future."<br /><br /> Despite the boards' approvals, which Wolf called one of the "major hurdles" of the process, there are still several steps before the merger becomes final. They include due diligence as well as legal work required by the state.<br /><br /> An official agreement to merge could be reached as soon as Tuesday. At that time, the museums' executive committees, a joint negotiation committee and five representatives from each museum are scheduled to meet.<br /><br /> If the executive committees votes in favor of the Magnes plan, it would still take another couple months for all the preliminary legal paperwork to be finished.<br /><br /> Pre-existing construction plans for both institutions would go ahead in the meantime, although they will be carried out under the rubric of the new museum.<br /><br /> The Jewish Museum previously purchased the historic Jessie Street Power Sub Station building in Yerba Buena Gardens, which officials hope to open by 2003. But the plan by architect Daniel Libeskind—whose previous design included the new Jewish museum in Berlin—will be scaled down by 10,000 square feet to accommodate a parking garage beneath the plaza, a requisite of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.<br /><br /> In exchange for relinquishing space, the redevelopment agency approved $5 million of in-kind contributions in the form of construction work.<br /><br /> And plans for the new Berkeley site on Allston Way between Oxford and Shattuck, purchased by the Magnes Museum in 1997, remain unclear. But Mark Cavagnero, an award-winning architect who worked on the new Oakland Museum and the remodel of San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor, has drawn up preliminary drawings for it.<br /><br /> The future of the current Magnes building also is in doubt: It might be sold, it might be kept. That decision will be up to the new board.<br /><br /> Regardless, "the merger is bigger than the buildings," explained Marni Welch, deputy director of the Magnes, which last week received notice of its accreditation being renewed for 10 years by the American Association of Museums.<br /><br /> The latest merger process started in January with the hiring of a consultant, David Lapiana, who specializes in the merger of nonprofit mergers.<br /><br /> Under his guidance, the museums formed a joint negotiation committee made up of Wolf, Morris and five board members from each museum. The 12 then met regularly to draft the proposal that was approved by the boards in June.<br /><br /> "Everything was done with enormous equity on both sides," said Wolf. "It was not as if one side was saying please, please, please, and the other was saying maybe, maybe, maybe."<br /><br /> There were, however, some apprehensions.<br /><br /> "Both museums were concerned that their own heritage would be carried forward," said Morris. "The answer to that is yes."<br /><br /> It's also, added Wolf, a win-win situation for the Jewish community. "In a community such as the Bay Area, it does not serve us well to have a division. There shouldn't be people saying 'I go to this museum' or 'I go to that museum.'<br /><br /> "The new museum would be an important entry point or gateway to lifelong learning in Judaism. It would be a place that everyone of a wide range of spectrums and beliefs can feel part—have a sense of belonging to one thing together."<br /><br /> John Goldman, president of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, agreed that the museums are benefiting the entire community by working toward a merger.<br /><br /> "While a pact may not always be easy, we recognize that this is the right decision to make," he said. "The federation will be pleased to offer its assistance in any way possible to make this a reality."<br /><br /> Earlier attempts at merger included one in 1987, after the Koret Foundation funded a study to examine the possibility. The idea didn't crystallize.<br /><br /> Another attempt fizzled in the early 1990s, but those involved in this round believe one new museum can accomplish quite a bit.<br /><br /> According to Wolf, because the East Bay site would be near U.C. Berkeley, it could provide students with access to Magnes' worldwide collections, library archives and research materials. And the structure in San Francisco, at the center the city's cultural district, will be an enormous 90,000 square-foot building with many display opportunities to draw in worldwide crowds, she noted.<br /><br /> Because of the BART lines across the bay, patrons of the museums can easily commute to either museum location, Morris said.<br /><br /> "Were really maximizing our opportunities to serve the public," added Welch.<br /><br /> The community, Wolf emphasized, has demanded a singular institution.<br /><br /> "In making this decision, we're listening to the community and many are saying 'It's about time.'"<br /><br /> Other Page One Stories<br /><br /> 21st S.F. Jewish Film Festival will flaunt its coming of age</p> <p> </p>

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