Gail Hoffman

Domenic Iacono
Director
SUArt Galleries


Dear Domenic,

After listening to the issues regarding Astria Suparak's firing as Curator of the Warehouse Gallery, and having been given no evidence from the university for her dismissal despite the outstanding job she has done for the arts community, I must withdraw my submission of work in this year's Faculty Show. Since the SUArt Galleries is part of CMAC and under the leadership of Jeffrey Hoone who has fired Astria, I cannot be a part of this show.

I have shown in the Faculty Show for eleven years, have always had great respect for the work of my colleagues at the Lowe Art Gallery and you all at the SUArt Galleries, so it with great regret and disappointment that I write to you.

Sincerely,

Gail Hoffman
Assistant Professor
Departments of Foundation and
Transmedia
College of Visual and Performing Arts

Lonnie Chu: Oct 1 Support and Coffee

Hello, friends and neighbors,

This coming Monday, Oct. 1 at 9:30 a.m., a bunch of people will gather in front of City Hall to meet each other, drink some delicious coffee donated by Cafe Kubal (Eastwood) and show support for Astria Suparak, the curator of the Warehouse Gallery who was recently fired for vague reasons. There has been a tremendous outpouring of support for her and a unified expression of admiration for her work, from all over the United States and even abroad, as well as outrage that Syracuse could lose her so quickly. She's only been here a year, yet there's been an explosion of public art in that time and her showings are bringing *positive* international attention to Syracuse and upstate in general. To lose her puts us in worse shape than we were in before she was here, for even though it was just one person at the university who fired her, booting such a professional and talented woman reflects on an entire city that until this year has been seen as somewhat of a cultural backwater.

Fortunately and laudably, the City of Syracuse has gone through with a previously expected appointment of Astria, with others, to the Public Arts Commission. There will be a reception put on by the City at 10:00 a.m. inside City Hall so that the public might meet all of the members of the Public Arts Commission.

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/09/dismissed_warehouse_curator_na.html

You can learn more about the issues at http://keepastria.com and at http://syracuse-warehouse.blogspot.com/. And if you can't make it at 9:30 Monday morning, please send in a warm body - or anyone you know who supports the arts in Syracuse.

I hope I can see some of you then!

Lonnie


--
Lonnie Chu