HOWLAND — The Boy Scouts of America art collection, which has pitched its tent at Medici Museum of Art since 2020, will be gone next week.

Sunday will be the last day the exhibition is open to the public, according to Medici Executive Director Katelyn Amendorala-Russo. Representatives from Heritage Auctions will arrive Tuesday to begin cataloging and crating the collection of more than 400 artworks, including 65 pieces by American artist Norman Rockwell, in advance of the first of several planned auctions starting in November.

“We’ve been really lucky to have the collection for the duration it’s been here,” Amendolara-Russo said.

“It is tragic from my perspective,” said attorney Ned Gold, who was instrumental in bringing the collection to the area. “It has been a symbol every Scout and Scouter has seen for nearly 100 years, and we’re losing that art and losing that connection, which is very important in scouting.”

The museum knew this date was coming. The art collection was one of the assets the Boy Scouts of America was ordered to liquidate in order to compensate more than 64,000 former Scouts who have filed claims as abuse survivors.

Gold initially tried to gain custodianship of the collection for the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown. When the Butler’s board voted to table the proposal in 2019, it led to Foundation Medici severing its relationship with the Youngstown museum and establishing the Medici Museum of Art, where the Butler Institute of American Art Trumbull Branch had been at 9350 E. Market St.

Barbara J. Houser, a retired chief U.S. bankruptcy judge and the trustee overseeing the administration and distribution of those funds to survivors, ordered the start of the liquidation process last week and picked Heritage Auctions to handle the sale.

In a press release Wednesday by Heritage Auctions, Avivia Lehmann, Heritage’s senior vice president of American Art, said, “Heritage is deeply grateful to have been entrusted with what is undoubtedly one of the most significant collections of Golden Age illustrations to emerge on the market in recent years. We are honored to present this museum-caliber collection, which not only celebrates the artistry of Norman Rockwell and other luminaries of the Golden Age, but also embodies the rich cultural heritage at the core of our mission as America’s largest auction house. Equally important to us is the privilege of supporting the survivors, underscoring our commitment to both the arts and social responsibility.”

Houser is quoted in the same press release, “These survivors have waited decades to be heard and acknowledged, and the sale of these works will aid us in providing a measure of justice to them. Buyers should be proud that they will be contributing to rebuilding lives and helping to right past wrongs.”

Medici will be closed next week as the team from Heritage prepares the collection for shipping. Initially, the plan was only to remove a portion of the collection, Amendolara-Russo said, but that wasn’t practical logistically, so it all will be removed and transported at one time.

Even though it’s all leaving next week, Heritage Auctions will hold multiple auctions to sell off the collection to avoid oversaturating the market and lowering the potential value of the works. The collection had been appraised at $130 million at the time Medici acquired custodianship.

According to the press release, Heritage will display highlights from the collection at its galleries nationwide and will continue offering art controlled by the trust in future auctions.

The Medici exhibition was the first time all 65 Rockwell pieces had been displayed together, and it was the second largest collection of Rockwells outside of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass.

Since the Medici Museum opened in 2020, it has attracted visitors from all 50 states and several countries. Those visitors include several of the Boy Scouts who served as models for the paintings, which were used for scouting calendars and appeared on the cover of Boys’ Life and Scout Life magazines.

“Every time I go into the museum, I see the Rockwell collection, and it’s a reminder of my scouting history,” Gold said. “He began painting the scout paintings right before I got into Scouts. In a way, it’s a painted history of what I’ve seen during my scouting history, which will be 75 years on Sept. 1.”

Amendolara-Russo said she is sad to see the collection go, but is looking forward to the future.

“I think it’s time,” she said. “I love having the Rockwells here as a tourism (draw), but I’m excited to get started on something new and really have the freedom to bring in other artists …It opens the doors for a new beginning to carry on our mission to do more contemporary focused shows in the arts.”

Medici will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Sunday. Admission is free.

“If you want to see it, you better get here,” Gold said.

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