No ruby slippers, but this addition to the Judy Garland Museum brings even more Minnesota meaning
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Even though the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids was unable to top the winning bid for Dorothy's ruby slippers, a new addition is still making its way to the collection.
The museum’s executive director Janie Heitz flew out to Dallas hoping to bring the slippers back to the museum, but Heitz didn't have a whopping $28 million to spare at the auction on Saturday.
She had set her sights on the movie’s door to Dorothy’s Kansas home, but when a new piece captured her eye, she knew the museum had to have it.
Joining the lot of Wizard of Oz memorabilia at the museum will be a painting by Minnesota artist Bill Mack.
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“I just, I don’t know, I had this gut feeling, and I was like, ‘if we're going to get a piece, I feel like this is the better piece for us.’ It’s sort of like we get to have the slippers but in a different way,” Heitz said.
The painting features the boney green hands of the Wicked Witch of the West getting shocked by the flashy ruby slippers. It is painted on a metal panel of the original Hollywood sign.
The auction house listed the price as $25,000, including taxes and fees. The museum’s bid was $20,000.
Heitz said the money they used for the bid was from the restitution of the trial after the theft of the slippers. The museum did not expect to see that money, but they received it in full, Heitz said, and wanted to put it towards getting them back.
This is the first time the museum has ever bought anything, as everything they currently have is from donations or loans.
“This is a significant amount of money for us,” Heitz said regarding their purchase.
She and the museum curator, John Kelsch, believe the painting commemorates a journey from having the slippers stolen, fighting to get them back and seeing how much they meant to the community. By getting this painting, a piece of Hollywood and a depiction of the slippers, feels like a “fitting way to spend the money,” Heitz said.
The final bid of $28 million for the slippers is the largest sum spent on a piece of entertainment memorabilia at an auction, Heritage Auction said.
After taxes and fees, the slippers worn by Garland went for $32.5 million.
The hat worn by the Wicked Witch of the West, played by Margaret Hamilton, went for $2.5 million. The total cost to the buyer will be $2.93 million.
Heitz describes the high bids as “insane” and “remarkable.”
“I think it’s a testament to just how iconic and important ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is to world history. I mean, it’s American history, but it’s also the world,” Heitz said. “It keeps Judy Garland’s life and legacy relevant for many more years to come, because of her role as Dorothy Gale in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’”
Prior to the auction, the museum was raising money in hopes of purchasing the slippers. While part of the funding they received included pledges, which will go away, the remaining donations will be used to help the museum.
Heitz says it will be used for a potential “Wizard of Oz” miniature golf course or another type of exhibit.
Heitz says the museum does not know where they will hang the painting yet. She figures the 18-by-24-inch piece will probably go near the original carriage from “The Wizard of Oz” and a test dress.
The museum is hoping to connect with Mack about a possible unveiling event.