Renee Mulcare

To lose Astria Suparak as the curator of the Warehouse Gallery is devastating. She has been such a strong presence in the art community, and I feel, along with many others, that she has been wrongfully dismissed. This is unfortunate to say the least, for Astria's contributions here have been phenomenal, bringing about a stronger community for the arts as well as connecting the university to the city through her tenure at the Warehouse.

It is frustrating to know that SU and the city of Syracuse are losing a vital asset to building a strong art community and working towards Nancy Cantor's vision towards Scholarship in Action. The way that I have always understood Cantor's idea of Scholarship in Action, was that being "in action" one would be exploring differences, learning new things, and experiencing a wide variety of opportunities to expand our knowledge. This allowance of Astria to be dismissed, however severely diminishes the strong idea of Scholarship in Action. It seems to be a selective Scholarship in Action, almost as though Astria wasn't bringing the right kind of diversity to Syracuse, which doesn't seem to make any sense.

The bigger problem that I see with the whole situation is the lack in reasoning and explanation for Astria's dismissal. Jeff Hoone has provided nothing to the community as to why he felt that he should release Suparak from her position. His lack in an argument to back up his decision has yet to surface, and the fact that he has declined to shed light on the situation makes me question his status and position in the Syracuse art community. Frankly, I don't want him to be here. I've begun to lose trust already in his decisions and what he will do in the future. Why is it so hard to provide a legitimate reason? This lack of one makes me think that perhaps there isn't one. That should be a red flag warning. There would be greater issues at hand if this were the case. I do not know his reason, but I am still very much in doubt about him in general. To make such a drastic change as this deserves an explanation. Without an adequate explanation, Hoone is doing more than removing Astria. He has put himself in a situation in which he is losing credibility in his judgments. As someone that is in his position, I would think that putting yourself in a place where people are questioning your ability to do your job is not a place where you want to be.

This severe lack in information and explanation from the school and Hoone's position is disturbing. It makes me think that there is something bigger going on that is being left out, and it's extraordinarily frustrating. That is a horrible place to be in when you are that high up in the chain. It's a stupid move. There is no other way to say it. It's poorly thought, without reason, without anything to give credibility to the decision made regarding Astria. It's sad. It's really sad that this is what is happening and that it is like a horrible essay written in which they are trying to prove a point with nothing to back themselves up. I don't trust that, I won't trust that until something is explained.

Renee Mulcare
Film, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Syracuse University 2010