I would recommend anyone who is interested to read a front-page
   article in the New York Observer about a new exhibition on Arnold
   Scaasi at the New York Historical Society.  The article is entitled:
   "*Schmatte Macher* Arnold Scaasi Maneuvers His Own Glitzy Tribute" I
   will quote the opening line:

   "The women who wear my dresses don't have to wear underwear."

   The Society, which Betsy Gotbaum was hired to rescue from near
   oblivion,  was encouraged to do this exhibition by individual and
   very wealthy sponsors who are Scaasi's customers.  Ms.  Gotbaum is a
   very connected woman who used to fundraise for democratic candidates,
   helped to move the Parks Department toward privatization, and is now
   working to bring glamour and money to the Historical Society.

   The article has her discussing the pro's and con's of the Society's
   presenting an exhibit about a commercial designer who is quite alive,
   sponsored by the money of women socialites who wear his very flashy
   dresses.  She said that she "anticipated some resistance from people
   who are not accustomed to glitz at the society." but the show
   "appealed to [me] because of the role that Arnold has played in social
   history."  She goes on to say: "Look I have to be realistic.  We don't
   have enough money some months to pay for lightbulbs.  When Gayfryd
   [Steinberg, a NYC socially active woman] asked me to do this, I
   thought 'Why not?'"

   The funders include Hearst Corporate, Arnold Scaasi Inc, and several
   of the top names in the NYC corporate/social nexus.

   The article is pretty balanced, despite the critical tone of the
   title.  There is certainly a widespread recognition of the necessity
   of keeping {or making} the Historical Society solvent.

   I certainly do not want to editorialize in this forum, since we all
   can empathize with how difficult it must be to do what Ms. Gotbaum is
   doing.  However, this article casts some of the issues of sponsorship
   that have been discussed here into high relief.   Like all museum
   people and all New Yorkers who care about these things, I hope that
   the Historical Society survives and thrives.  Ms. Gotbaum is very
   committed to her strategy of livening the place up (what with
   transvestite portraits and Madonna-artifacts), and I'm sure her
   successors will thank her.  But she definitely is making a definitive
   statement, and a controversial one at that.

   I don't know whether the text of this article is available
   electronically...maybe some kind soul can find out...

   Eric Siegel
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