Beal was hired in 1999 as the Director and President of the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). During his early days, Beal was embroiled in several controversies over the suppression of contemporary exhibitions, despite his identification as an advocate of
contemporary art. The first example of this was in 1999, when Beal shut down an exhibit Jef Bourgeau had been invited to create. Beal called Bourgeau to his office, while museum staffers acting under Beal's orders padlocked the exhibit. In 2012, the
board of directors increased Beal's salary from $455,453 to $514,000 annually. The same year the DIA asked voters in Wayne, Macomb and Oakland Counties to approve an increase on their
property taxes to help the DIA solve its financial problems and keep its doors open. plus another 50,000 in 2013. Initially, the raises and loans were not made public. In 2014, the DIA filed tax returns for 2012 which disclosed Beal's raise and bonus. The disclosure caused much anger among Wayne, Macomb and Oakland County taxpayers. "The public rallied around the DIA, and this is the thanks they got?" Oakland County Executive
L. Brooks Patterson asked. Oakland County Commissioners threatened to stop Oakland County's participation in the DIA millage. On November 5, 2014, the DIA board repaid the museum for Beal's 2013 bonus with the board chairman Eugene Gargaro apologizing for "mistakes which we regret". Two months later, Beal's pay continues to generate negative headlines for the DIA.
Oakland County officials continue to be at the forefront of opposition to a retroactive raise for Beal. Lawmakers want to make the DIA subject to the
Freedom of Information Act. ==References==