Monday, September 17, 2007

D. Wilson

Did anyone really think Chancellor Cantor would stop at HillTV?

Warehouse Gallery Director, Astria Suparak, is on the chopping block for COME ON: Desire Under The Female Gaze, an art exhibition that explores "the dimensions of [female] desire".

According to the Warehouse Gallery press release, COME ON reveals what is not represented in popular culture and provides a counterbalance to the ubiquitous imagery of sexualized female bodies created for mainstream heterosexual male sensibilities.

A favorable review by Post Standard's art critic, Katherine Rushworth, describes the show as "not for the sexually repressed." Rushworth writes, "if you can get past the ubiquitous presence of the male sexual organ you might just be coaxed into thinking about gay sex, intimacy, morality and the fleeting nature of romance."

Chancellor Nancy Cantor and Jeff Hoone, Executive Director, Museum & Arts Centers, when confronted with ubiquitous imagery created for female sensibilites, had only one thought: CANCEL!

Hoone, presumably with Cantor's blessing, had already asserted his big ubiquitous authority over Suparak, forcing her to remove the word "feminist" from the title of Come On.

Remove the word "feminist"?

Apparently the word feminist is far too offensive for the sensibilities of Hoone and Chancellor Cantor (and also perhaps Rush Limbaugh?)

Unfortunately for Suparak (and for all of us) Hoone and Chancellor Nancy Cantor are so uncomfortable with a feminist come on that they have completely canceled Suparak's next show, The Yes Men , and fired Astria Suparak to boot!

Fired for personnel reasons? Or censored for personal reasons? Shame on these bullies.

The future of Astria Suparak at the Warehouse Gallery remains uncertain. The University, the Warehouse Gallery and the city of Syracuse, all stand to lose if Suparak is forced to leave.

-- D. Wilson

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BACKGROUND

Syracuse has lost one its greatest assets. Astria Suparak, Inaugural Director of The Warehouse Gallery of Syracuse University, was removed from her position as of Sept. 30th, 2007, despite widespread support from community members, students, faculty, and the international art community. This decision was made unilaterally by Jeffrey Hoone, Executive Director of the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC).

At the time of Suparak's dismissal, Hoone also canceled her forthcoming exhibitions, including "Keep It Slick: Infiltrating Capitalism with The Yes Men," due to open in November 2007.