Nashville, Tenn. – April 23, 2012 – Fisk University announced today that the Tennessee Supreme Court denied the application of the Tennessee Attorney General to hear an appeal of the decision of the Court of Appeals to permit Fisk’s Alfred C. Stieglitz Art Collection to be shared with the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art located in Arkansas.

This puts an end to the multi-year legal controversy about whether or not Fisk has the right to share the Stieglitz Collection with Crystal Bridges. Under the agreement, Crystal Bridges will provide Fisk with $30 million in exchange for an undivided half interest of the Collection. The agreement provides that the Collection will be exhibited one-half the time at Fisk and one-half of the time at Crystal Bridges. The agreement ensures that each Fisk student will have an opportunity to study and view the art over the course of his or her matriculation at the University and that the entire Collection will be available for the public to view and enjoy during these periods.

The case will now go back to the Davidson County Chancery Court for Fisk to establish certain administrative matters pertaining to the care of the art.

President O’Leary said, “We are, obviously, very pleased with this decision and look forward to working with the Attorney General to resolve the remaining administrative matters identified by the Court of Appeals.”

For additional information contact Melissa McNabb at 615.329.8555.

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About Fisk University
Founded in 1866, Fisk University is Nashville’s first institution of higher education and it currently ranks in the top 10% of all liberal arts institutions in the nation according to Washington Monthly. Fisk is one of six Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) listed in Forbes magazine’s 2011 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” and has been ranked in The Princeton Review’s “Best 373 Colleges” publication for twenty consecutive years. U.S. News and World Report ranks Fisk #144 in the elite Tier One group of 246 liberal arts institutions selected for the distinction among the 1,400 colleges and universities in the nation and Fisk is one of only three HBCUs ranked in Tier One. Fisk has earned three R & D 100 Awards for work in the creation of radiation detectors developed in collaboration with several national laboratories and corporations. No other HBCU has earned a R & D 100 Award. According to the National Science Foundation, Fisk produces more African-Americans who go on to earn doctoral degrees in the natural sciences than any school in the nation. For more information on Fisk University, please visit www.fisk.edu.