Monday, May 08, 2006

New Home for Brooklyn College Art (UPDATED)

Thanks to DUMBO real estate developer David Walentas, the controversial Brooklyn College MFA Exhibition has a new home. UPDATE: Or maybe not. The New York Times is reporting this morning that it's unclear whether the students will accept the offer. The Times also reports that Mayor Bloomberg, who it's safe to say has very different attitudes towards art than his predecessor had, believes the closing of the show was appropriate: "'Nobody's suggesting that anybody shouldn't be allowed to exhibit art,' Mr. Bloomberg said. 'The issue here is this is not a museum. This is a war memorial.' He added, 'There has been an understanding ever since art was put here that the art would be appropriate for families and respectful of and appropriate for a war memorial and this time it was not.'" Apparently the students will sue the city regardless of whether the exhibit is reinstalled in the new space.