Looking at the issue of Mayor Giuliani attitude toward the Brooklyn Museum
exhibit from the perspective afforded by some distance from New York, as
Mr. Trinkley does, creates a distorted and therefore false picture of the
issue as it plays out in New York City politics. Watching this autocrat
from day to day destroy one institution after another or one worthwhile
program after another, for the sole reason that they opposed the mayor in
some policy issue, paints a different picture. His latest victim (before
the Brooklyn debacle) was a program called Home Works, a charitable
institution that found homes and work for AIDS sufferers. NYState awarded
them a sizeable grant to continue their work and Giuliani (because of past
opposition) figured out how to prevent them from obtaining their funds. He
also destroyed the community of sidewalk artists in NY. That's a long
story, but in the end he claimed that such artists art not protected by the
first amendment. The courts said "not true," but he ignored them. Sidewalk
bookstalls were not sent packing, however. A while ago he drasticly reduced
funding for community art education and projects, not caring that these
programs serve as the breeding ground for future professional visual and
theatrical artists, and are important contributors to New York's primacy in
these areas...and there are many more examples of abuse of power that I
have not mentioned because I don't remember the details.

One by one, public programs, in fear of running into conflict with the
mayor have ceased to oppose him. Where is the opposition from the NYC
museum community? Whether this exhibit is appropriate or not, whether it
should have been funded or not is not the question. The real issue is
government's meddling in the affairs of the museum community after the
fact. To me museums, even publicly funded ones, should mount controversial
exhibits -- the reason being to expose such items to public opinion -- the
issues themselves are worthwhile. But that's not the point here; that is
the false issue created by Mr. Giuliani. The only important issue I see is
the manipulation of our cultural institution by someone who has no regard
of the significance, tradition and value of cultural or social
institutions. To me that is more dangerous than some ephemeral exhibit, for
which the basis of public outrage (spurred on by professional media
manipulators) is probably due to a contrived refusal to understand what is
being presented. I see in this affair a lot of people highly invested in
perpetuating ignorance and prejudice and capitalizing on its rotten fruit.

So while I understand why my invective may appear unproductive and possibly
unwarranted, I suggest that within the context of New York City politics
the picture has a different hue; you'll find that this often-repeated
characterization is quite common here. Many consider Mr. Giuliani to be a
dangerous person, and not just for the arts. He could be the most hated
mayor in our history.

Robert Baron

At 02:16 PM 9/26/99 -0400, Michael Trinkley wrote:

>Robert Baron describes New York's mayor as an "ego-maniacal monster."
>I'm not sure such hyperbolic ad hominem attacks are either appropriate,
>or best serve the interests of the museum community.
>
>Museums must increasingly face the reality that if they wish to feed at
>the government trough then they must expect such issues to come up.
>Frankly, after seeing what seem to be representative pieces of this
>exhibit, I have to wonder who thought it was worthwhile art. But that is
>simply my opinion. If it was being sponsored by a private individual, or
>
>organization, I could shrug my shoulders and just not pay to see the
>exhibit. It would be their right to exhibit it and my right to think it
>was worthless. When you put government money in it, I'm inclined to
>think the issues -- and perspectives -- change.
>
>There seem to be so many battles which need to be fought over
>substantive issues of historical and scientific interpretation, I'm not
>sure that dung and vivisection art is the issue that I'd want to
>consider the "Rubicon."
>
>Regardless, I suspect that the mayor has plenty of supporters and
>casting him as a "monster" is certain only to alienate the public that
>museums so desperately need to both attract and educate.
>
>Best,
>
>Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
>Director
>Chicora Foundation
>PO Box 8664
>Columbia, SC  29202
>803/787-6910
>
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===========================
Robert A. Baron
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http://www.pipeline.com/~rabaron/

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