letter from the GAs President Get ready to be ... - Glass Art Society

L E T T E R s T O T H E E D I T O R
The Glass Art Society (GAS), its Board of Directors, members, and employees are not responsible for and do not necessarily
endorse the views and opinions expressed in Letter to the Editor.
Passive Racism and Institutional Discrimination
2
Shortly after receiving my MFA from The Ohio State
University, I was offered the position of Studio Director
of a glass arts organization in Columbus, Ohio. While I
was encouraged by many to keep looking, I accepted
the position with great enthusiasm. I felt strongly that
I would be able to share my experience and passion for
the glass arts with the greater Columbus community.
I was able to accomplish a great deal in my first year.
The studio became more self sufficient, class enrollment
and studio rental rose exponentially, the community
became more interested in the studio’s mission, and the
fundraisers brought more bodies and money through
the door. Long time members of the organization,
some spanning the length of its 18 year history, were
refreshed to learn that the studio could be more than
they thought possible.
Being Studio Director meant being in the middle
of all possible scenarios. I received a crash course in
Board Culture and office politics. I attended every board,
committee, and membership meeting so that I could
fully grasp, and assist in the movement towards the
organization’s growth. It is at these meetings that I was
witness to what was clearly the presence of institutional
discrimination and racism.
I became conditioned as Director to accept certain
personalities within the board and membership. However,
some of those vantage points crossed the line
when an employee of the organization was being treated
differently than everyone else. In this case, seemingly
innocent acts such as minimal eye contact progressed
to more aggressive behavior including verbal assaults.
It is clear to me now that this escalation could have been
avoided if the surrounding individuals acknowledged
these actions were unacceptable and confronted the
individuals involved.
My reason for revealing these experiences is not to
denigrate or cast blame. Racism is very real. The heart
of this problem is as much about the people who used
the word “nigger” as it is about the people around them
who allowed it to be used. There is nothing benign
about ‘passive’ racism.
Get Ready! (continued from pg. 1)
Transformation as theme
for the conference:
As our environment is evolving, so are we as
individuals. The conference speaks to both forms of
transformation and their intersection. How do the external
pressures of our changing world affect our artistic
journey? How do we continue to reinvent ourselves in
the face of economic, social and artistic pressures? What
are we becoming as individual artists, and as a glass art
movement? There is no better place to explore these
issues than in a city that is alive with transformation.
Pittsburgh is a great city
for the GAS conference:
Besides the excitement of conferencing in a lively
cultural center, most of which can be easily accessed
on foot, the conference will be occurring during
Pittsburgh’s “Year of Glass.” With Chihuly’s Gardens of
Glass at our phenomenal conservatory, a significant
contemporary glass exhibit about the dialogue between
the Italians and Americans at the Carnegie Museum of
Art, all local galleries exhibiting regional and international
artists, including an exhibit of Japanese glass art at the
Pittsburgh Glass Center’s Hodge Gallery, the conference
participant will have a rich array of artistic experiences.
The Year of Glass is a unique city wide collaboration
with cross promotion of all glass programming throughout
the year.
After two and a half years at the organization I
resigned, exhausted from fighting this situation. I was
able to move on, but I was not the person of color that
was ostracized and dehumanized. I did not have to
absorb the hateful words “boy” and “nigger”.
I hope that this can begin a dialogue as to what
each person and organization can do to prevent what
happened in Columbus from happening anywhere else.
If nothing else, publicly acknowledging that it exists is
a start.
Thank you for your time.
Bridget Boss
Guidelines for Letters to the Editor
1. Letters will be selected for publication based on space
availability, topical interest, number of letters received
on the same topic or area, and adherence to our
guidelines. Only letters from Glass Art Society members
will be published.
2. Letters containing potentially libelous matter, profanity,
or that attack the character or reputation of a person or
company will not be printed.
3. Letters may be edited for language and length.
4. Letters should be limited to 200 words (currently under
review).
5. Letters submitted for publication by regular mail or
e-mail must include the author’s first and last name,
address and phone number for verification purposes.
Anonymous letters will be disregarded. If your letter is
published, your first and last name will be included
(unless you ask that it not be), but your address and
phone number will not be included.
6. When writing, faxing, or e-mailing a letter to the editor,
use the subject line or heading “Letter to the Editor.”
7. When responding to a specific article, state the article
title and include the date in parenthesis.
8. Frequency of submissions may need to be restricted.
If we receive multiple letters on one subject or from one
writer, we will attempt to sample a variety of opinions,
but may apply the general standard of one letter per
writer per three newsletters.
Our convention center, the largest green building
in the country, is a uniquely aesthetic space for demos,
vendor booths and the student exhibition with a glass
wall facing one of our three rivers. The conference hotel
is an architectural gem of a bygone era, beautifully
restored. The Byham Theater, another restored gem will
welcome you at opening day lectures and ceremonies.
A walk along the Allegheny River will take you to our
final party at Pittsburgh’s Science Center.
The rivers may lure you to other experiences of the
city. Also available will be an architectural walking tour,
an industrial glass tour, a rehearsal of the Pittsburgh
Symphony in the glamorous Heinz Hall, plenty of delicious
food, and theater performances. The Mattress
Factory, an internationally renowned installation art
museum, and the Andy Warhol Museum are there to
explore. The Pittsburgh Glass Center, with its state of
the art studios, accessible to all, is the reason for all of
the glass focus. Once you experience it you will want to
move to Pittsburgh. And we will help you do it!
In short, you will not want to miss this chance
for reflection by the rivers, for thought-provoking
lectures, and for inspiring demonstrations. Absorb
the atmosphere of this engaging community. Come
to be transformed.
Inspired by her parents’ passion for collecting studio
glass, Karen Johnese became the founding chair of the
board of the Pittsburgh Glass Center in 1998, and became
executive director in 2003. Along with Kathleen Mulcahy,
Ron Desmett and Randi Dauler, Karen is a co-chair for this
year’s GAS conference.
Ana Thiel's prize-winning Trine
G A S L I N E
New Developments
Craig Nutt has recently joined the CERF staff as their
first Director of Programs. Craig is a furniture maker,
sculptor, and artist advocate. He presented a panel
discussion at last year’s GAS Conference in St. Louis.
Kirstie Rea will be the new Creative Director of
Canberra Glassworks. The New Orleans Creative
Glass Institute (NOCGI) has opened its doors as
an open access glass studio and education center,
allowing affordable studio access to glass artists
(and future artists) throughout the city of New
Orleans. GAS Board member Eddie Bernard, and
Jonn Hankins, will serve as directors; other staff
includes Laurel Porcari, Gayle Seybert-Gish,
Carlos Zervigon and Angela Bart Bernard.
Alert: Internet Fraud
Targets Artists
by R. Rene Friedman
(continued on pg. 4)
Artists who show or sell their work online are being
targeted increasingly by internet fraudsters. Although
there are many types of fraud schemes, one common
scam is called “advance fee fraud.” The artist receives
an inquiry by email from a prospective buyer located
in the UK or other foreign country. The letter is not
well written, with poor use of English, punctuation, and
grammar. The letter may indicate that the writer is not
familiar with the artist’s work. However, after receiving a
price list, the writer says she wants to make a purchase,
sight unseen. The price is typically between $2500 and
$5000. The writer offers to pay by cashier’s check or
money order prior to shipping.
If the artist agrees to the deal, the buyer sends a
cashier’s check. The check is for more than the amount
of the purchase. The buyer then contacts the artist,
claiming an error occurred, and asks for a refund of the
overage. Since the artist just deposited the cashier’s
check in the bank and believes there’s no risk, he writes
a check or wires the “excess funds” to the buyer. The
artist also ships his work. A week or two later, the artist
is contacted by the bank, who informs him that the
cashier’s check was a forgery. The bank then deducts
the entire amount of the cashier’s check from the artist’s
account. Worse yet, the art is gone, as well as the money
that the artist unwittingly “refunded” to the fraudster
located abroad.
To protect yourself from internet fraud, remember
that money orders can be forged, checks can bounce,
and credit cards can be stolen. Be sure that the payments
you have received are “good funds,” and have
cleared the bank, before you ship your work. For sales
involving large sums, having a lawyer review the deal
may also make sense. At the end of the day, the best
protection against fraud is to be well informed. Consult
the website for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and
artists’ forums online for more practical tips on identifying,
preventing, and responding to potential instances
of internet fraud.
R. Rene Friedman is a litigation partner at Sidley Austin
LLP in Chicago, and is married to an artist who recently
received an advance-fee fraud solicitation in the mail.