Mask and Wig Club forced to auction $1 million mural

Faced with debt due to maintenance costs Bowing to financial pressure, the Mask and Wig Club has decided to auction off a valuable piece of American art that could be worth $1 million -- "Old King Cole," an original Maxfield Parrish mural which hung in the group's downtown clubhouse. The sale is scheduled for May 23 at Christie's auction house in New York City. 1984 College graduate Craig Koflach, president of the graduate Mask and Wig Club, said the club was forced to sell some of its assets to help cover the group's mounting debt. According to Koflach, the group's financial difficulties stem from maintenance and insurance on its South Quince Street clubhouse and the cost of putting on the club's annual shows. The clubhouse costs the club more than $15,000 a year to maintain, he said. "And putting on a show with the scale and magnitude we are known for is a very expensive endeavor," Koflach added. But the group is hopeful that the sale of the Parrish painting will help alleviate its financial woes. "Our purpose is to put on an annual production, not to be an art museum," he added. Maurice Burrison, director of the Faculty Club Art Gallery, explained that Parrish's work has a "particularly American quality about it." He said he hopes someone within the University community will purchase the painting, either at the auction or prior to it -- although he admitted he was "pessimistic" that this would occur. "The onus is on the University itself, not necessarily to trust that some loyal alumnus will buy it and give it to us," he said. "This hardly seems likely." According to Koflach, the group has reviewed its financial problems with University administrators. He said he was told by "upper members of the development office" that they could not help the club financially. And Virginia Clark, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations, said it is not within her office's jurisdiction to buy the painting from the group. Koflach said the perception among many performing arts groups on campus is that Mask and Wig is a "very wealthy organization." But he emphasized that the group's assets are mainly held in areas like art and real estate, and are not easily accessible. "We do have a painting that's worth a million dollars, but it's not money in the bank," he said. He explained that the painting is currently housed in the club's 100-year-old clubhouse -- with 100 year old steam pipes that "could possibly destroy a piece of American art." "We feel that it is time to get the painting out of the clubhouse," Koflach added.