The Faculty of the Department of Transmedia

To: Nancy Cantor, Chancellor
Eric Spina, Vice-Chancellor
Carole Brzozowski, Dean of CVPA

In light of the dismissal of Astria Suparak from the Warehouse Gallery on September 28, 2007, the faculty of the Department of Transmedia will not participate in this year’s Faculty Exhibition in the SU Art Gallery in the Shaffer Art Building. The loss of Ms. Suparak, a dynamic, successful curator of contemporary art at the Warehouse, effectively diminishes our dialog with our colleagues and students and with the broader community. We have all lost as a result of the decision to dismiss Astria Suparak.

Further, the formation of and administrative direction of CMAC, to the exclusion of other options, have left media and visual art students and faculty with very limited local options for the exhibition of their work. A suitably staffed and funded gallery space (or spaces) needs to be put in place to serve our pedagogical mission in the media and visual arts. This space or spaces must permit the independent actions of professional curators, under the guidance of an advisory board representative of faculty, students and broader community, to deliver contemporary art of substance to our media and visual arts community, a constituency willing to embrace the development and celebration of a creative practice which is representative of the diversity of all its constituents.

Sincerely,

The Faculty of the Department of Transmedia