The crux of the matter is, if the  people in  charge were confident  of
their own judgement, they wouldn't be so easily challenged by these
artist's statements. What would our democracy be if questions weren't
allowed?

On Fri, 5 Apr 1996, Jhandley wrote:

>      I find this discussion very interesting.  However, is it pointless to
>      discuss how an artist could have done a work differently in order to
>      make it more digestible?  The artists in this exhibition (keep in mind
>      I have not seen it) sound deeply convicted about the issues raised in
>      their work.  A map of the United States certainly does not carry with
>      it the symbolism that the American Flag does.  If I recall correctly,
>      some of this work addresses the Vietnam War.  The symbology of the
>      Flag, with all of its positive meanings, confronts us with our
>      sometimes idealized patriotism when couched in the context of
>      something as powerful as the Vietnam War.
>
>      An important role of art (my .02) is to provoke and challenge our
>      unchallenged assumptions.  My hunch is that this exhibition will evoke
>      in viewers a stronger sense of patriotism.
>
>      John Handley
>      San Francisco
>