Michael Rush, the founding director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, died March 27 after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, according to an MSU statement.
After coming to MSU in 2010, Rush "was instrumental in the completion of the visionary 46,000-square-foot contemporary art museum, which opened in November 2012."
He was a sought-after lecturer, the statement said, and he was a "keen observer of developments in the time-based arts, performance, video and new media art," authoring a number of "pioneering surveys" on those topics.
The statement quoted a number of MSU officials, including President Lou Anna K. Simon, provost June Youatt and Eli Broad, all commented on the large influence Rush had on MSU.
“On behalf of the MSU community, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Michael Rush,” President Lou Anna K. Simon said in the statement. “In the short time we were fortunate enough to call Michael a colleague, he had a profound impact on the university through his work with the Broad museum and in the art community. The future accomplishments of the museum staff will always reflect the foundation he built."
Family members were not immediately available for comment.
The university is developing plans with the family to honor Rush's memory on campus, although MSU spokesperson Jason Cody said plans are not yet finalized.
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