@banff

From: at-banff (98/8/26)

Re: LISTEN & shut the fuck up.

aggressive person at-banff

>Listen. If you hate your job here that much either:
>a) quit
>b) stop bitching

how about ?

 c) take part in a serious debate concerning whether
    mva should be a place where people come to share,
    collaborate and learn or a place where they get their
    work made for them by servants.

I always find it strange at the low level of collaborations
which take place here at banff.

Should we develop spaces where people can develop work
and their work practice ?

Or should we use elite art names to advance the position
of ourselves and the banff centre ?

The solution is probably a compromise.

>As for having to do an artist's work, do you think
>this is a new thing?
this is a simple piece of rhetoric and fairly useless.
just because bad things have happened in the past
doesn't mean that we should carry on with them.

>Do you think that Henry Moore
>or Rodin made all of their own pieces?
do we have to hero worship elite males still ?
has feminism and cyber feminism been so discredited
- I don't think so !

>NO......They had
>people who worked for them.
please name the people who worked for them

>This might be known as
>a facilitator in the 20th century. If you want to
>make your own art, go ahead. If you want to be a
>facilitator, then facilitate and shut the fuck up.
why do you want m. to shut the fuck up ?
does he threaten you in some way ?
are you unsure about the views you hold ?
are you trying to disguise or hide the politics you hold ?

m. has a very good point also, about why there are no
printmakers and sculptors in mva. He is not necessary 'right',
but this question should be raised and discussed.

At worst, discussion is good management and training
and at best progressive and democratic.

>Believe me, this has gotten really old really fast.
untrue - this is always a very contemporary question

power and policy has to be constantly reviewed
- past defeats don't imply future failures

also, judging by your comments, I would guess
that you are in a position of power, as the powerful
are always thing to disguise

1. the fact that they have power
2. that these issues are mostly about power

the powerful always mask themselves and their actions
as neutral.

if you are in a position of power, you should not be
offering people the option of:

1. quit
2. shut the fuck up

the flip side of power is responsibility.

personally I would prefer an educated and intelligent
work environment at banff, although I realize that this
may create problems for people who wish to dominate
and also have institutional ambitions.

Banff as a very visible and respected art institution
has a responsibility to at least be aware of the
policy messages it is disseminating to the rest of the
world.