Thursday, October 4, 2007

Marisa Arezzi

October 1, 2007

I am writing in support of Astria Suparak, her commitment to and work at the SU Warehouse Gallery, and her overall contributions appropriately recognized by the greater Syracuse community. I was very sorry to learn of her dismissal and am distraught by the predictable, scripted explanation delivered by Jeffrey Hoone. I have read the events surrounding her termination and find it more surprising that Jeff Hoone hired a woman of her background and stature in the first place. It is out of character.

How unfortunate that Jeff's appointment to his current position went so quietly under the radar. This is a job that was created for and handed to him at a 'private reception'. One would think that such an important post would demand a national search. The lack of accountability has been present, by design, from the beginning. Comments made by Nancy Cantor regarding his "leadership" show ignorance of his career and personality.

In the matter of Astria Suparak, Jeffrey Hoone is nothing more than a mouthpiece.

In the US our human rights and constitutional freedoms have been steadily eroded in the name of fear, money and power. The dismissal of Astria Suparak is part of that erosion. We will probably never know who made the decision to dismiss her, when it was made, or for what reason.

I hope the tremendous outcry of support offers some thanks to Astria for sharing her vision and extraordinary talents.

Marisa Arezzi
Metropolitan New York

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