Visual Art Mar 15, 2010 at 2:49 pm

Comments

1
looks like that whole blindlessly-rally-behind-a-total-jag thing is starting to bite you guys in the ass.
2
Translation: the Chihuly Museum is a GO! I don't know anything about art, but thayut glayuss shore is purty.
3
bikes > art
times infinity.
take note Jen.
4
I'm a super progressive but "art" art does not rate highly on my list of priorities. I'm glad it exists and think arts funding is good and all, but this really is a criticism I wouldn't be making.
5
Seriously? Do progressives really have to deeply and personally care and study about all the causes they advocate.

I know plenty of people who genuinely support equal rights for gays, but couldn't tell you the first thing about gender theory.

I doubt many people on the stranger's staff could give a meaningful explanation of the carbon cycle, yet you probably all support reduced green-house gas emissions.

This is why elected officials have advisers.
6
Seriously? Do progressives really have to deeply and personally care and study about all the causes they advocate.

I know plenty of people who genuinely support equal rights for gays, but couldn't tell you the first thing about gender theory.

I doubt many people on the stranger's staff could give a meaningful explanation of the carbon cycle, yet you probably all support reduced green-house gas emissions.

This is why elected officials have advisers.
7
I thought conservatives were the only ones still fighting a culture war. Guess not.
8
@5 FTW ...hits it right on the head!
9
I'm a progressive. I don't give a shit about art.
10
also, @5, i love you so much, had you for dinner last night, but why must you make my pee smell so bad?
11
Remind me, Jen.

During the mayor's race I don't recall you bringing up art as an issue. Who was the art candidate in that race? James Donaldson? Jan Drago? Nickels? Norman Zadok Sigler? Seems like back then you could have tried to give the candidates a reason to take a position about art when something was at stake.

Now, it's just whining.
12
Jen's right on this. You don't get to be mayor of a major metropolitan city and go the aww shucks, art is just a guy's name route at public events. Dumb.

Also - thank god someone at the Stranger finally said something (mildly) negative about McGinn.
13
I really wish @2 wasn't spot on, but it's what they had to do, that and the fake Mercer Mess fix, to kill the Billionaires Tunnel vote.
14
I'm glad we're adding art criticism to the list of irrelevant litmus tests we demand of elected officials.
15
this is dumb. if he starts cutting arts funding, then we can criticize him. he likes basketball but thinks bringing back the sonics is not feasible. he can have his own likes and dislikes and still do the progressive thing. also, the "McG" moniker is suuuuuper lame. did not typing those three extra letters really save a lot of time?
16
I prefer Mayor McCheese...
17
Public figures do not set up press conferences at institutions and then spew ambivalence about the work of said institution. It's just thoughtless.
18
Barack seduces Michelle with art because he has no balls.
19
Comparing the Mayor to Glen Beck because he isn't an art fan? Dial it back lady.

Might this mean, perish the thought, there are conservative art lovers out there? Horrors!

Stop trying to fit people into your neat little boxes.

No disrespect Jen, but this post was pretty stupid.
20
McGinn is tone deaf when it comes to anything outside his comfort level. That means unless we're talking about bikes, tunnels or green stuff get ready for a loge wince-inducing four years.
21
I was also at the SAM press conference and my first thought was the mayor needs a speech writer. I was chagrined to hear the same old economic tropes trotted out as if we did not understand the dollars that art brings into the city coffers through taxes. I wish the mayor would ride his bike out to an art walk and talk to the folk who are interested in the subject,
22
Hmmm

Budget shortfalls and you're worried about art. Priorities please.
23
If McGinn had claimed he WAS a fine arts patron, you'd write something condescending about how unschooled his taste in art is.
24
wtf?

art teaching in schools...paints for kids...yes. a ticket to a play...yes.

But $40,000 for some artiste to live in the fremont bridge and record traffic sounds to make a 1-800 hotline for cars stopped on the bridge in teh future to call up and hear her montage of traffic sounds is just fucking robbing the working class to pay for shit.

those $300,000 artworks in light rail are sorta not progressive, too. Add 'em up over a dozen stations, you got enough money for another station. Why couldn't we have used movie posters instead ? There's no freaking art at the Bensonhurt subway stop, or at the far rockaway stop, or at the washington heights stop, or at the 125th street stop, and they seem to move people just fine.

I think what you mean to say is "support for certain artists funding is faux progressive."
25
True, I never have confused him with a fine arts patron. I could be wrong but from what I have gathered, his interest in art has been mostly about how it fits economically in his "plans" which is one of several reasons I did not drink the McG cool-aid.
26
I'd say I was pretty damn progressive, but I could care less about art.
27
Can I make the argument that I'm a progressive and don't give a shit about art?

But like, in a cool way, so like I'm part of the counter counter culture that cares deeply for the idea of art, and of course the notion that it can employ people (and given our current financial distribution method of giving people on wall street all the money to break shit) doing positive things is great but...I'm not a fine art patron. I don't see him as Glen Beck for saying that, though certainly absent minded to open with that line when you're a governing official I don't see it as offensive...to me.
28
We are super super conservative and love art.
And think it is great if everyone participates and makes art.
And if people can make a living in the free market selling their art that is great, too.
But paying public money to "artist" to create what 90% of the population would easily agree is crap doesn't do much for us.

Art is great.
The more and the more people making it the better.
Paying public money for "art" not so much.

Please wait...

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