By gr on 2006-08-22
Next round of art talks.
Anonymous said...
Well, I think that last comment pretty much sums up why some people don't want to take a number, and wait in line with a bunch of potentially really awful people that would take advantage of an online dialogue to say something that you would never dare to say in person. As an older working person, I find that I don't always enjoy being at an opening that is populated mainly by much younger people, and I can rarely make it to openings. I was not that "bitch" and I wasn't there, and I was trying to point out that if you are a gallery, you are there to make a profit, ultimately, if you want to survive. So you can be as high and mighty as you want about it, but in the end, you need the people with the money, not the people who are so busy being against the establishment that they'll never be able to buy anything other than a $20 Post-It. I don't excuse that woman being rude, but I'm willing to bet that she has been to many shows, and experienced many disappointments as a result of galleries that are not able or willing to accomodate the interested buyers. Am I wrong in thinking that this is art that hopes to survive, be taken seriously, and provide a living to its creators?
Of course, that's why I said we have a responsibility to our artists and customers. I mentioned many careers we have helped, and those are just a few. In the case of 1200 post its at $20, we can't cater to the wealthy or to just anyone who raises a stink. We've been in business for 12 years, more than 3 in the gallery business, and we are one of the early places for "low brow" art to show in a store setting. I think you're way off base, and don't know the history of what we do. That aside, I think you are condescending and I think maybe you need to think about yourself and less about my post.
Also, awful people could also include that woman. Our event was professional and orderly. It wasn't bad, the person who posted the "harsh" comment, probably didn't come to our show.
It is collected by and shown in museums, and no one is labeling it "low brow" to keep it out of the "real art" world. That reveals a complete lack of understanding of the art market, and what many museums and galleries are about. And many of those people that are collecting are not able to do it in person; we rely on the galleries to keep us informed of shows, and honor the system of a buyer's list. I don't like anyone getting skipped ahead of me, but I don't like thinking that any gallery would refuse to sell someone art because they simply don't like them.
We didn't do this. She left! I think you're not getting it. If she waited she could have bought what she wanted (there's an echo in here). We don't know if she's a collector or just a crackpot. It's possible she was a collector, but it's possible she wasn't. That's honestly of no consequence and it's not the point. However, thanks for acknowledging that you would have been unhappy with someone cutting in front of you. That's a big part of the point here. Those were simple rules.
No one should be able to buy every Post-It, and I think this show is a great way to get younger or less financially able buyers involved in and excited about art. But that doesn't mean you should say "No $20 art for you. This shows for all the kid that went without dinner to buy art. I'll call you next time I've got a really expensive Biskup available, though."
We didn't do this either, nor would we say this. (echo...) She just had to wait her turn in line.
I simply don't care for the name calling, and you sink to a level well below that woman's rudeness in doing so. You were right to not let her ahead of anyone, and she made the choice to leave. But I doubt that she will ever come back, if she has read any of this, and I don't know that it's worth it to lose a patron in order to enjoy saying some very nasty things. I think you rather destroyed any argument you had, claiming that you wanted the world to be all fair and considerate and gentlemanly, when you referred to this woman as a bitch, referenced the word several times, and then made comment about a "mother fuckin' Post-It." A gentleman would have said nothing, and been satisfied that this woman managed to purchase no art from his establishment.
My argument is clear, you read my response and didn't understand a thing. And the mother fuckin' Post-It was a reference to Snakes on a Plane! - the post soon before... Even if it wasn't, who cares if I call it a mother fuckin' Post It? Do you not watch PG movies? I'm sure any gentleman you know has even a more colorful vocabulary whether it's on the streets on in the bedroom.
Yes, bitch was a tough word, but what do you call someone who insists on cutting in front of others repeatedly? A nice person? She can read this and maybe learn something. I think you'd have referred to a person who acted in that way as a "bitch" too.
And no, I won't sit quietly, since 1) I am a publisher and co-editor of a magazine 2) I am willing to stand up to anyone who's going to cause problems in my store and business. 3) This is unjust, and I do believe in being fair. 4) This is a blog, this is where I can talk about things like this. Thanks for responding. I'm sure we can agree to disagree.
Anonymous said...
Well, I think that last comment pretty much sums up why some people don't want to take a number, and wait in line with a bunch of potentially really awful people that would take advantage of an online dialogue to say something that you would never dare to say in person. As an older working person, I find that I don't always enjoy being at an opening that is populated mainly by much younger people, and I can rarely make it to openings. I was not that "bitch" and I wasn't there, and I was trying to point out that if you are a gallery, you are there to make a profit, ultimately, if you want to survive. So you can be as high and mighty as you want about it, but in the end, you need the people with the money, not the people who are so busy being against the establishment that they'll never be able to buy anything other than a $20 Post-It. I don't excuse that woman being rude, but I'm willing to bet that she has been to many shows, and experienced many disappointments as a result of galleries that are not able or willing to accomodate the interested buyers. Am I wrong in thinking that this is art that hopes to survive, be taken seriously, and provide a living to its creators?
Of course, that's why I said we have a responsibility to our artists and customers. I mentioned many careers we have helped, and those are just a few. In the case of 1200 post its at $20, we can't cater to the wealthy or to just anyone who raises a stink. We've been in business for 12 years, more than 3 in the gallery business, and we are one of the early places for "low brow" art to show in a store setting. I think you're way off base, and don't know the history of what we do. That aside, I think you are condescending and I think maybe you need to think about yourself and less about my post.
Also, awful people could also include that woman. Our event was professional and orderly. It wasn't bad, the person who posted the "harsh" comment, probably didn't come to our show.
It is collected by and shown in museums, and no one is labeling it "low brow" to keep it out of the "real art" world. That reveals a complete lack of understanding of the art market, and what many museums and galleries are about. And many of those people that are collecting are not able to do it in person; we rely on the galleries to keep us informed of shows, and honor the system of a buyer's list. I don't like anyone getting skipped ahead of me, but I don't like thinking that any gallery would refuse to sell someone art because they simply don't like them.
We didn't do this. She left! I think you're not getting it. If she waited she could have bought what she wanted (there's an echo in here). We don't know if she's a collector or just a crackpot. It's possible she was a collector, but it's possible she wasn't. That's honestly of no consequence and it's not the point. However, thanks for acknowledging that you would have been unhappy with someone cutting in front of you. That's a big part of the point here. Those were simple rules.
No one should be able to buy every Post-It, and I think this show is a great way to get younger or less financially able buyers involved in and excited about art. But that doesn't mean you should say "No $20 art for you. This shows for all the kid that went without dinner to buy art. I'll call you next time I've got a really expensive Biskup available, though."
We didn't do this either, nor would we say this. (echo...) She just had to wait her turn in line.
I simply don't care for the name calling, and you sink to a level well below that woman's rudeness in doing so. You were right to not let her ahead of anyone, and she made the choice to leave. But I doubt that she will ever come back, if she has read any of this, and I don't know that it's worth it to lose a patron in order to enjoy saying some very nasty things. I think you rather destroyed any argument you had, claiming that you wanted the world to be all fair and considerate and gentlemanly, when you referred to this woman as a bitch, referenced the word several times, and then made comment about a "mother fuckin' Post-It." A gentleman would have said nothing, and been satisfied that this woman managed to purchase no art from his establishment.
My argument is clear, you read my response and didn't understand a thing. And the mother fuckin' Post-It was a reference to Snakes on a Plane! - the post soon before... Even if it wasn't, who cares if I call it a mother fuckin' Post It? Do you not watch PG movies? I'm sure any gentleman you know has even a more colorful vocabulary whether it's on the streets on in the bedroom.
Yes, bitch was a tough word, but what do you call someone who insists on cutting in front of others repeatedly? A nice person? She can read this and maybe learn something. I think you'd have referred to a person who acted in that way as a "bitch" too.
And no, I won't sit quietly, since 1) I am a publisher and co-editor of a magazine 2) I am willing to stand up to anyone who's going to cause problems in my store and business. 3) This is unjust, and I do believe in being fair. 4) This is a blog, this is where I can talk about things like this. Thanks for responding. I'm sure we can agree to disagree.