ART ATTACK
It's true Boston is a culturally conservative city with a lackluster contemporary art scene. Part of the problem is also the media outlets like the Phoenix. Let's be real here. I turn the page from the article "Begging" to read your glowing review of the same ICA show you question on the previous page.
I think the Phoenix newspaper needs to take the art scene more seriously here too if there will ever be any change. Start covering and featuring the shows at smaller spaces by emerging artists. We are out here trying to make it happen and change this place but I'm just not sure Boston cares about anything other than sports and science.
P.S. I'm an emerging artist trying to get the hell out of this city, too.
BAHAR YURUKOGLU
BOSTON
SOMETHING CORPORATE
Good article! About time someone said what has needed to be said for a long time. My son, Alex, who has long departed for Brooklyn, would say Boston is too "corporate." I would say (26 years here) it is too "provincial" (as Menino certainly is)!
Alex (lamazza.com, now artefacting.com) did find support up here from Cambridge Multicultural Art Center, where he was given nice space for a one month exhibit as well as a space to hold a 90 person reception in January (with film presentation). He would say that in NY, he has gotten a lot of help as a self-taught artist (with a little help from Art Students League) from Chashama (one month free space outside Times Square), Queens Art Museum (exhibit Dharavi, Mumbai project — later at Camb Multi), NY Times (Willett Park Project — two Sunday articles), even WSJ (Dharavi), Brooklyn Arts Council (501c3 for tax-deductible contributions and funding application help).
In Boston, either you are already some kind of big shot or forget it, even at [the] ICA. Boston is at [the] level of open studios and mediocre art, or institutional MFA for suburbanites and Bank of America.
DAVID A. WHITE
JAMAICA PLAIN
