In a recent interview with the National Post, Mr. Marc Mayer, Director of the National Gallery of Canada, re-kindled discussion relating to our open letter issued in March. He states:
“It does sometimes get scary what some artists and artists’ representatives will stoop to to try to get into the collection,” he said. “There’s been a lot of controversies and a lot of petitions. It’s young artists. Artists who’ve been out of school maybe for about a month.”
A brief response was added to the comment section of this article as follows:
Re: “It does sometimes get scary what some artists and artists’ representatives will stoop to to try to get into the collection,” he said. “There’s been a lot of controversies and a lot of petitions. It’s young artists. Artists who’ve been out of school maybe for about a month.”
As a co-originator of an open letter directed to Mr. Mayer in March, I am intrigued by Mr. Mayer's statements above, and I invite National Post readers to review the letter and list of co-signers so they may try to glean what about the letter is so “scary”. I also invite them to search for the names of young artists scattered amongst the names of respected senior artists and cultural workers.
http://excellenceatthenationalgallery.blogspot.com/
It is precisely the condescending tone Mr. Mayer continues to espouse that prompted a large share of the national arts community to seek clarification for the remarkably outdated statements he issued on CBC’s “The National” in February.
- Milena Placentile (a curator not remotely interested in trying to “get into the collection”)
Please find the complete article right here: http://arts.nationalpost.com/2010/06/10/pop-life-exhibit-lands-at-national-gallery-in-ottawa/#comments