Hello! Mark asked me to post this letter to the blog for your course. It is in response to the hotel manager, who requested (actually demanded) that I take down the current exhibit before Saturday. See below:

Hi ---,

After spending a few hours thinking about your message, my response is as follows. It comes from an honest place. I don't intend to be rude, just clear.

This morning when I received your email, I was slightly taken aback, confused and reminded of many debates that have been emerging in the past weeks at spaces that foster art but host events (See: "Art disrupts wedding plans at Chicago's Art Institute":  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-art-institute-wedding-20110517,0,1874217.story 


My first instinct is to feverishly defend my aesthetic and curatorial philosophy. Art in my opinion should propagate ideas, the level of abstraction in the communicative channel is what can be questioned, fluctuate and be remodulated. Art should foster dialogue, criticism, and a million other things-- but I feel very strongly that art should be anything but passive. Consequently, the programming that I've scheduled for the space has (in my opinion) considered audience by not excluding this particular community from the contemporary art scene by making unfair, go-to assumptions. I consider the past exhibitions to be a somewhat broad survey of contemporary art (many of the exhibiting artists show nationally and some internationally at prominent galleries, some are locally active emerging artists).

As I said, my stance is that art should engage viewers enough to excite something and if that is revolt or offense, it is a meaningful reaction. Which is why I would like to ask what specifically is offensive about the current exhibition or any other that I've brought into the space and why? What was offensive to the aforementioned corporate groups and guests? In my opinion the current show is the least offensive in terms of content of any exhibition that I've taken responsibility for. Pedro Velez's piece that referenced Scott Walker was taken as an offensive statement, but when you really examine the text it is only pointing to the act of being reactionary-- the text doesn't take an explicit stance, but upon first examination it appears to. Political content is difficult to avoid (See: Bell Hooks "The Personal is Political").

It isn't about "art being in the eye of the beholder," it is about art functioning on a level that is effectual. If someone disagrees with the way something looks on the surface it is different than disagreeing with the aesthetic because aesthetics or 'style' are borne out of a specific intent, culture or subculture, etc. What I am trying to say is that aesthetics are adopted by an artist with intent and information, it isn't really that subjective. In Susan Sontag's "Against Interpretation" she examines this notion and questions whether we are really looking at the work or if we are bringing too much of our own baggage to it, passing easy judgements that aren't justifiable.

Although I understand that this is an event space and those holding events would like the artwork to match the decor of their event, that is not the purpose of a gallery. In a gallery, the primary focus is the artwork (which could be an event, see Rirkrit Tiravanija's work) and if that isn't the focus then the space isn't a gallery.

Ascribing the title of "Curator" to a student is placing a big responsibility on that individual (which I am fully trying to adopt and not shy away from). Whoever holds that position is being asked to take a stance. If that is not what you are interested in (and I made this suggestion earlier), you should hire a preparator to hang artwork that you select. (Also, to be honest, you might be hard pressed to find a preparator who would work for less than $25.00-$50.00 an hour and rotate two exhibitions in one day).

I apologize that my programming does not fit your needs and will remove the current exhibition tomorrow morning. Melissa kindly agreed to hang her work tomorrow evening. However, if the bride, any guests, corporate groups or yourself are willing to sit down with me to discuss what is upsetting the current exhibit or any other, I would be very interested in having that conversation. That is what art should do, foster discourse.

Also, if you are nervous about Raychael Stine's exhibition, please let me know so that I can cancel the show. She is traveling from Texas and I would hate to have her travel that far only to remove the show within a few days. Her paintings are small and in my opinion the space will conceptually be accounted for, but it will be sparse.

Thank you and please let me know if you have any more questions or concerns.

Best regards,
Danielle