The Times picks up the deliciously nasty tale of art and preening self-interest going on at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center in the Lower East Side. The Villager ran a piece on this last month, which is even richer in detail. Either the Times took pity, and glossed over the fisticuffs in front of NY1 cameras, or everyone got wise to the benefit of good press, and kept their mouth shut. Because nothing makes people lose sympathy faster when the Sandman comes calling, in the form of Keith McNally, than seeming to piss all over what is basically one hell of a sweet deal. You’ve got one side invoking the mystery of Latino machismo and the other carping “But it isn’t affordable if you can’t use it” even though this complaint came from someone drawing salary from the withheld rent. Here’s a wacky idea: I’m sure there is no shortage of artists who would be willing to play nice in order to get a classroom sized studio for $500/mo. Mind you, these aren’t homesteaders who moved in back when they were finding socialites with dead bodies in their trunks. The center was organized only ten years ago, and many of the artists have been there less than that.
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Good art always arises from struggle. But when do we get to the art part?
The Times picks up the deliciously nasty tale of art and preening self-interest going on at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center in the Lower East Side. The Villager ran a piece on this last month, which is even richer in detail. Either the Times took pity, and glossed over the fisticuffs in front of NY1 cameras, or everyone got wise to the benefit of good press, and kept their mouth shut. Because nothing makes people lose sympathy faster when the Sandman comes calling, in the form of Keith McNally, than seeming to piss all over what is basically one hell of a sweet deal. You’ve got one side invoking the mystery of Latino machismo and the other carping “But it isn’t affordable if you can’t use it” even though this complaint came from someone drawing salary from the withheld rent. Here’s a wacky idea: I’m sure there is no shortage of artists who would be willing to play nice in order to get a classroom sized studio for $500/mo. Mind you, these aren’t homesteaders who moved in back when they were finding socialites with dead bodies in their trunks. The center was organized only ten years ago, and many of the artists have been there less than that.