I'm really going to miss him. I've never felt more connected to SAM than with him on board.

And THAT was a bulls*#t, called-in piece of crap! Where's THE REAL STORY??? And WHY did it take you this long to write THIS?!? And thanks Gretchen and Joey, your opinion is SO relevant and interesting in regards to this issue. You're both such an integral part of the scene at SAM and locally it resonates, REALLY it does! Luckily you were 'rollin' with yer homies' last night at that performance art piece and didn't have to go any further for that information than your own back alley. Don't you know ANYONE in the scene outside of your little 'cronie circle' that can offer something relevant and insightful? What is the 'alleged' scandal, the gossip, and more importantly-the real impact on the community and museum?
Soul searching? When did SAM get a soul? It's more like a great hall for parties and socializing than a venerable, serious art museum.
A little 'less kiss ass' and a lot more story would have been so right here.
Jen, maybe you should take Derrick's cue and pursue more Art and less...

@4 ...ah come on go ahead...BITE...you know ya want to...just a nibble. Jen won't care, I know she forbade you out of the allegiance to a falsely propped up charade of intellectualism and scenery, but go ahead.

Ms. Graves,

Has Mr. Cartwright followed up on this? Does he want out of the Directing business? Maybe there is a personal piece he wants to work on?

Sucka take your sh@t elsewhere. This isn't a high profile place for you to rant. If you had left your personal agenda behind before you started reading, then you would have seen this for the well written applause to Mr. Cartwright that it was.

Mr. Cartwright sounds like a real loss to the SAM community. The next director will have large shoes to fill. Such a personable man with so much honest interest in the art community is a loss for not only SAM but those of us who frequent the SAM also. Perhaps this is a gain for Seattle as a whole though. Maybe an opportunity for another well educated art blogger! Or even another critic! Perhaps another critic who's words help build community instead of more sucka's who'd prefer a good rant with their ego on display.

@7
"Okay Grandpa!, what-ever Grandpa!, yes Grandpa!...."

...btw, were we reading the same article, Gramps?

This is a little late to the discussion......but, I know what happened. I was very, very involved with the board and with Derrick and with Mimi and with Chiyo and with many others....including the failed tenure of Catherine Roche....

Try me at tgandu4fun@yahoo.com if you pass all the vets for not being an embedded spy......maybe we can talk. The back story on this story is worth hearing.

.....its the typical story, however, of an 'organizational vacuum' created by a celebrity leader (Mimi) leaving behind an army of gatekeepers that have only their perceived fiefdom to defend.....and for the overrated gatekeepers in the registrars office and Sandra-Day Jackson in Education.....well, you'd have to see it to believe it to understand the level of delusional 'community based' logic and cronyism these people operate within to justify their own whacked ideas.

Take solace in the fact that this is not unique in public entities....its the norm. Churchill: 'The battles are so fierce, because the stakes are so low.'

.....one more thing about Mr. Cartwright's tenure at SAM. Everyone had good intentions and operated with good intentions. Mr. Cartwright is a world class academic and art historian. He is also an empathetic leader and extremely thoughtful......it just was not a good match for the bureaucratic structure left in tact from the previous director.