Plan to Merge 2 Art Museums Quietly Folded

A proposal to merge the Laguna and the Newport Harbor art museums has been scrapped after three months of hushed, informal discussion, according to sources close to both institutions.

Newport Harbor director Michael Botwinick would not confirm or deny that talks have taken place. James V. Selna, Newport Harbor’s board president, also refused comment.

Laguna director Naomi Vine said informal discussions “take place all the time. I hear things all the time. I’m sure our board members speak to their board members” informally.

“The idea of collaborating with the Newport Harbor Art Museum is appealing to me to the extent that it strengthens the visual arts in Orange County,” she continued. “But my priority is to continue to present important exhibitions here and to build a very strong future for this museum.”

In any case, it appears that the Laguna forces were the ones who scuttled the proposal. The discussions, which ended in August, reportedly were initiated by Newport Harbor. The plan called for merging over five to 10 years, sources said.

Merger talks were also held in 1989. Those discussions had been opposed by Newport Harbor. Proponents had argued that a merger could keep administrative costs down, eliminate competition for charitable donations and create a major collection of California art.

The Laguna, Orange County’s oldest museum at 77 years old, collects California art of the 19th and 20th centuries. Newport Harbor, 33 years old, specializes in California art after World War II. Each museum has an operating budget of about $1 million.