|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
|
|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
No Getting Over
To the editor: On behalf of the thousands of Iraqi civilians who died when attacked by the “coalition of the willing,” the 51 million people (a majority) who did not vote for George W. Bush, and the millions of people all over the world who have a conscience, I would like to ask Russ Price why we should “get over it.” When something is wrong, it is wrong. No matter who does it or under what pretense. I hope we, as a people, never get over it!
Steve Halliday
Weatherford
Art, Artifice,
Race (and Diapers)
To the editor: In response to Anthony Mariani’s review of Dialog: Historic Allen Project, new works by Anitra Blayton at Four Walls @ Displays Unlimited, Inc.: Mr. Mariani makes it clear that his interest and opinion (which always are welcome) are eminently well-informed and objective, yet I’d nonetheless disagree with his take on this show.
First, Mr. Mariani sees no artistic merit in the installation. Paraphrasing Gertrude Stein, he notes that a diaper-changing station is a diaper-changing station is, well ... and that he’s not sure how exhibiting one makes it conceptual art. The concept, he adds, is so artificial.
Apart from the fact that all art and concepts are artificial, I’d note that, if anything, Ms. Blayton’s work is overqualified as art, based on precedents ranging from Marcel Duchamp to Jospeh Beuys to David Hammons. Yet Ms. Blayton has done something fresh and personal and thoughtfully considered with a well-worn approach.
Second, having decided that Ms. Blayton’s work has no artistic merit, Mr. Mariani concludes there’s only one reason Four Walls is hosting the installation — race. Allen Chapel is an African-American church. Ms. Blayton is a black artist. The art world overall is white. So liberal guilt and political correctness are behind it all.
But, wrong again. The show is at Four Walls not because of race, but because Tim Nentrup (who is president of Displays Unlimited, Inc. and wouldn’t know liberal guilt if he stepped in it) has admired Ms. Blayton’s work for some 15 years and suggested we show her. As gallery director, I was happy to agree, for the same reason and at least one more: The installation fits into our exhibition program, as would a well-crafted and thoughtful exhibition about a white suburban church.
Bottom line? Four Walls presents a variety of art installations. The only constant is quality, and Ms. Blayton’s show has quality to spare.
Janet S. Tyson
Fort Worth
Corrections
• Last week’s cover story (“Underachieving at the Top”) incorrectly stated that a former gym teacher with alternative certification had been appointed principal of Fort Worth’s Applied Learning Academy. In fact, that principal was put in charge of another school, the Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center.
•In a music story last week (“Killer or Filler”), Amie, the female lead singer for the band Bread and Water, was incorrectly referred to as “he.”
Fort Worth Weekly regrets the errors.
Email this Article...
