On Tue, 30 Apr 1996, Andy Finch wrote:

> According to the Phoenix Art Museum, Dial simply made clear that they
> were *not* a sponsor of the exhibition and furthermore asked that their
> name not appear in conjunction with it.  But the corporation is still a
> supporter of the museum.  I don't think there's any call for a boycott.
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I am surprised by your comment that there is no call for a boycott. Once
a sponsor chooses not to wholly support an institution, its selectivity
imposes a form of censorship upon the institution.

The potential for further backlash as Chris Geist and Anita Cohen-Williams
mentioned regarding the Salt River Project electric utility also revoking
its support not only for the exhibition, but for another upcoming show is
a major cause for concern.

A boycott or letter writing campaign sends the message that such activity
will not be tolerated. It is particularly important to show support from
outside the institution under fire. It shines needed attention on the
issue hopefully without further punishment for the effected instituion
and may in fact prevent other corporate withdrawal.

Your message however, implies Dial was never specifically involved with the
exhibition itself, but just as a general Museum sponsor. Is this correct?

Selectively supporting an exhibition or program which is of interest to a
sponsor is different from providing general as well as specific support to
an instituion and then revoking such support when the going gets tough.

If the dial corporation (is there a parent company?) has such concern for
its image and doesn't want it associated with a potentially controversial
subject, such as the Phoenix flag show, it should have considered such
implications prior to funding the exhibition or any public institution
for that matter. It would seem the Dial corp. needs to evaluate what its
objectives are for providing funding to museums and other educational
institutions prior to offering its support.

Maranne McDade
Photographic Archives
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Harvard University
11 Divinity Avenue
Cambridge, Mass. 02138