After Todd Jannausch, organizer of Gallery 206, left a package of art on Seattle Art Museum's doorstep on Christmas Eve, the museum let it stand—but now it needs to go.
Dear Todd:
On behalf of the Seattle Art Museum we truly appreciate your gift of Gallery (206) and your kind words about SAM. Our visitors and staff very much enjoyed seeing the piece in front of the museum during this holiday season.
Seattle has one of the most vibrant art scenes in the country and we greatly value the creative energy and support of our artist community. At this time, we are not able to bring Gallery (206) into our collection but if you decide to auction the work off to benefit SAM, we would be delighted and use the proceeds for our modern and contemporary art program.
If it is possible to collect the piece from the plaza this week, that would be ideal. Again, thank you for this incredibly kind gesture, and we wish you a very happy new year!
With best regards,
Chiyo Ishikawa, Deputy Director for Art and Curator of European Painting and Sculpture
Catharina Manchanda, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
It's a classy response—especially the part about using the funds for specific support for living artists.
The gesture of artists leaving artworks on the doorsteps of museums is nothing new. A bunch of upstarts in Tacoma left a baby buggy "installation" on Tacoma Art Museum's doorstep a few year ago; just this week, a Polish art student hung his own painting in the National Museum.
At least one Seattle artist told me he was not contacted before Jannausch decided to leave Gallery 206 at SAM; he was not thrilled to be part of an act of protest against an institution he doesn't have beef with.
In general, museums are always accused of not representing artists, especially local artists, well enough. And in many ways the charge is founded, given that art institutions are built on the backs of artists but don't always provide them with actual support. But SAM is far from an imperious palace, and local artists are not of one mind on this issue.
Jannausch writes: "I will be removing the installation soon but would like to thank the Seattle Art Museum for allowing Gallery (206) to remain outside the SAM for the holidays. It was a wonderful show of support for all of the work that Seattle artists do to enhance our city."
May at least a little money be raised, donated, recirculated. Now who wants to buy this phone booth of art?
