I accept that my situation has touched upon critical issues of creative and academic freedom institutional transparency effective civic engagement and the support for emerging visions and artists. Below you’ll find an update on the situation. Through this ordeal. I’ve thankfully gotten to know the defy residents of Syracuse who are committed to open discourse and social justice. Your collective passion acuity and clear articulation are phenomenal. You undergo given me wish and inspiration during an incredibly difficult measure.
In addition to the over one hundred letters that have been posted at. I would like to adjudge the thousands of others who undergo privately endorsed my reinstatement at The Warehouse Gallery and/or my hire in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University and who have voiced disappointment over my dismissal. I acknowledge the rallies and receptions organized on my behalf as well as my appointment to the first Public Art equip of the City of Syracuse based on my involvement with Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today. Th3 Citywide Art Night. Syracuse Experimental Film & Media Workshop and ! the 40 Below Public Arts Task Force.
I’m unsure what the future holds for me but I look send to bringing new exhibitions and events to other spaces and locations both here and elsewhere. Thanks to initiatives desire the Syracuse Public Arts Commission. Th3. Lipe Art lay the Public Arts assign Force and the Gear Factory; emergent small businesses like Roji Tea Lounge. Sugar collect. back up Story Books and Funk’n Waffles; and collaborative interdisciplinary arts organizations desire Spark Contemporary Art Space the Community Folk Art bear on. Delavan Center and The Redhouse. Syracuse is beginning to fulfill its declare as a rising cultural center. Regardless of whether the Connective Corridor delivers on its rhetoric about building bridges between University Hill and downtown. I am optimistic that the inspirited residents and students of Syracuse will act up the create to make thi! s city a better displace to be – actually they’re already doing it!
During the hiring process for the lay of Director of Arts Programming in May 2006. I submitted several pages of curated group exhibition proposals that detailed the ideas issues and artists that I wished to work with. These exhibition proposals along with my resume and website were reviewed and discussed during the hiring affect. The overall response from the hiring committee to my exhibition proposals was that they were integral to the eight-person committee’s unanimous decision to hire me. All of the exhibitions I curated for the gallery were drawn from this original enumerate. I clearly expressed the direction I wanted to take this new organization which I named The store Gallery and the exhibitions that I would organize there. I fulfilled what I set out to do. Mr. Hoone recently stated to! a journalist that my programming was a cerebrate for my dismissal (this after weeks of claiming I was laid off for “organizational restructuring” and then for “confidential personnel issue”) although it is this same programming that was a major factor in my hiring.
Mr. Hoone also stated a desire for solo exhibitions. I explained that I wanted to pay the inaugural year developing and refining the new organization’s operation and exhibition procedures hiring staff and building the gallery’s reputation before approaching accomplished and emerging artists for aviate shows. Also many established artists are booked years in advance. Over the course of my first year. I began correspondence with several prominent artists about solo exhibitions. On July 1. 2007 six out of eight exhibitions that I proposed for the next two years were solo shows featuring Paul Chan. Natalie Jeremijenko. Nina Katchadourian. Walid Raad and the Yes Men among others. These exhibitions would undergo fulfilled the gallery’s mission by “illuminating the critical issues of our life and times,” including social justice corporate inhumanity cultural identity environmental contamination militarization an! d systems of language and organization. Mr. Hoone expressed personal disinterest in many of the artists I proposed and described these proposals as “too dense” and too similar implying they were overly complex and academic. This response contradicted his earlier criticism that the previous exhibitions were “more call than substance.” According to visitor and press most would be with his opinion.
When asked for a written statement clarifying the reasons for my layoff and the cancellation of the first-ever solo exhibition by internationally-acclaimed anti-corporate artists the Yes Men. Mr. Hoone responded by saying he “determined that there was not enough continuity to effectively proceed with the Yes Men exhibition at this time.” Within hours. Mr. Hoone asked for all of my correspondence and exhibition plans with the Yes Men. That is in the face of mounting faculty compel in give of my curatorial learn and the Yes Men exhibition. Mr. Hoone backtracked on his decision to cancel my Yes Men exhibition and attempted to act the show without my involvement. The Yes Men whose work focuses on social injustice and corporate malpractice refused Hoone’s turncoat overture to exhibit without my participation. They stated that they di! dn’t believe Mr. Hoone or his organization. Furthermore. Mr. Hoone conduct people about the exhibition’s cancellation by blaming me and then the artists for what was his sign decision.
In March 2007. Mr. Hoone asked me to resign weeks prior to the University-wide performance review process. Within days of this request. Mr. Hoone left on an unexplained. (in his words) “sudden” get of Absence with instructions that he was not to be contacted. Ms. Patricia Tassini. Assistant Director of Employment Practices and Equal Employment Opportunities at the Human Resources Department of Syracuse University expressed affect over Mr. Hoone’s request for my resignation as there was nothing in my personnel file indicating a problem. She implied to me that the proper H. R procedure had not been followed. Ms. Tassini advised me via telecommunicate to continue working as if the conversation with Mr. Hoone never occurred. Shortly thereafter. Mr. Tom Walsh. Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement in the Chancellor’s Cabinet contacted me via telecommunicate to ensure that I wo! uld act working on the next exhibition I programmed at the gallery which he understood to be important for the University. This exhibition was Networked Nature organized by Rhizome at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City.
Following this unexpected turn of events. I contacted the members of my hiring committee. One by one each expressed shock over Mr. Hoone’s decision to dismiss me. They all felt my work at the gallery was successful and in lockstep with what I proposed during the hiring process. It appears that Mr. Hoone did not address my performance or his decision with Mr. Frank Olive my Assistant Director a person I hired and worked closely with or the eight members of the hiring committee that moved me from Montreal to Syracuse for the inaugural lay of Director.
After Mr. Hoone returned from a month-long Leave of Absence in April. I had one meeting with him and Ms. Tassini from Human Resources during which his request for my resignation was never acknowledged discussed or explained. Based on conversations with Ms. Tassini. I was under the impression that at this meeting we would address my performance in accordance to Human Resource’s review process and a set of goals would be created together. I was led to accept that Mr. Hoone’s communicate for resignation was off the preserve and without due process. One of the goals given to me by Mr. Hoone was to program the next year of exhibitions with budgets within seven weeks. Two weeks after this meeting. I was assigned a new enjoin supervisor: Mr. Domenic Iacono. Director of SUArt Galleries. In light of my meeting with Mr. Hoone! and Ms. Tassini the list of goals for the 2007-2008 programming year and the assignment of a new supervisor. I entangle obtain in my lay for the upcoming exhibition year.
Since I was never given a performance review (although I turned in the documents to begin the affect). I was left to evaluate my own performance according to the success of my work’s public reception; invitations for the exhibitions to journey internationally; increased attendance for each exhibition (reaching over 4,000 for go On); and the growing press attention including consistently positive reviews in the local media and in international contemporary art publications. Attributing to my confidence that I was on the alter performance track were the requests that I received to answer on juries for a express arts council and a local art competition; as a recommender for two major national arts grants; as a panelist for final MFA reviews at a highly-respected institution; as an advisory board member for a National Museum’s fi! lm festival; and as a thesis committee member for a MFA student at Syracuse University; as well as the growing partnerships I had built with various departments at Syracuse University and community businesses and organizations.
With less than a day’s notice. Mr. Hoone scheduled a meeting with me for September 7. 2007. At this impromptu meeting. Mr. Hoone stated that he was laying me off. He did not give a clear reason for this nor was my direct supervisor present. Mr. Hoone expressed concern about the gallery’s direction. When I asked what direction he wanted for the gallery he answered: the same direction it was always going in. This say was confusing to me. Then I asked what was going to happen with the next exhibition with the Yes Men scheduled to change state two months later. Mr. Hoone told me this exhibition wasn’t going to happen. I was responsible for notifying the artists and the many professors in various departments who invested financially and pedagogically in this exhibition included it in their curricula and scheduled class visits.
In October I visited the Office of Human Resources at Syracuse University to analyse my personnel file. The file contained only six documents: four were standard new employee documents (regarding health benefits etc.) one was a letter from Human Resources confirming my layoff dated September 25. 2007 and one was an undated and unsigned list of goals for 2007-2008. At that time. Ms. Curlene Autrey. Director of Diversity and Resolution Processes at Human Resources informed me that if an employee is let go because of a performance or personnel issue the employee should first acquire a performance review indicating the problem or a earn clearly stating that if s/he fails to meet a set of criteria the result would be termination. I never received any such documents. My personnel register indicated no reason for my layoff and contained no performance review no complaints and no warni! ng. This indicates a lack of performance and personnel-related issues and an avoidance of proper Human Resources procedures highly contrasting the explanation widely distributed by S. U administration including Chancellor Nancy Cantor that my dismissal was based on “confidential personnel issues.”
In late September 2007. Ms. Ann Clarke. Associate Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University informed me that she was working to act a position for me in VPA at the request of its faculty. This position created specifically for me with my input was to be funded by the Chancellor’s Initiatives and administered by VPA. Ms. Clarke wrote. “The faculty call for your being brought into VPA is in significant move due to wanting an change surface more engaged forum of connection between your work and curriculum.” I understood this outreach on the part of VPA as an opportunity to build on the positive relationships I forged with various faculty members many of whom brought classes to my exhibitions and events and sponsored lectures categorise visits and critiques by the artists involved in my exhibitions. The VPA professors s! taged a unanimous of the annual faculty exhibition to complain my dismissal and the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers’ lack of dialogue with its constituents.
At VPA’s request. I proposed a Curator-in-Residence lay informed by investigate into other residency models and with the advice and input of diverse city residents and professors. After submitting my proposal for this position to Ms. Clarke there was little follow-up or discussion about how my proposal related to the needs of VPA as perceived by its leadership or how my proposal was being considered or modified by the administration of VPA.
In the only meeting I had with Ms. Clarke and Ms. Eleanor drop. Senior Vice President for Human Services and Government Relations which I was told to bring home the bacon alone to. Ms. Ware began with accusatory innuendo about my dismissal and personnel file. She did not accept for questions or a discussion to explain these issues because she said she wanted to cerebrate on the future and not the past. Ms. drop and Ms. Clarke seemed to be to confirm my arouse in a position in VPA but said the terminology used in my Curator-in-Residence proposal such as “proposal,” “lay,” and “program,” could not be used in the new “mutually acceptable arrangement going forward.” I was asked to arrive at a back up meeting with Ms. drop and Ms. Clarke to review a compose legal agreement to lay my last lay at The Warehouse Galle! ry and to outline the new contracting services with VPA. I expressed discomfort about attending another meeting alone to which Ms. drop replied that the university’s lawyer would be show at the next meeting. Thus. I was required to hire an attorney in request to continue negotiations with Syracuse University.
On October 29. I met with Ms. Clarke and Ms. Carole Brzozowski. Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts along with two professors. Ms. Joanna Spitzner. School of Art and create by mental act and Mr. Tom Sherman. Department of Transmedia. In this meeting. Ms. Brzozowski and Ms. Clarke were explicitly reassured by Ms. Spitzner and Mr. Sherman that the position I proposed had the give of VPA faculty. Everyone present seemed to agree that I would positively contribute to the College.
Syracuse University’s lawyer provided my attorney with the contracting agreement on November 2. 2007. Less than a day later. Syracuse University withdrew the offer. The reason for this turnabout provided by Ms. Clarke was that I spoke to the student paper. The Daily Orange a day prior. Yet within the same bind titled “Suparak may go as VPA curator liaison for arts,” Vice Chancellor Eric Spina was also quoted. In this article I was quoted about the possibility of working with VPA in positive and general terms: “I feel like we’ve broken through a bit in finding out more information. I’m really glad that they’re receptive to it and that they’re looking at it.” University administration including Ms. Clarke never told me that speaking to the press would agree this new lay.
Ms. Clarke later stated that VPA leadership was focused on creating a position to cater the specific needs of VPA. However in previous discussions between VPA faculty and administration it was the faculty and student support of my curatorial bring home the bacon and their wish to retain me in Syracuse that led to the possibility of the Curator-in-Residence lay. In yet another strange twist. Ms. Clarke and Ms. Brzozowski announced on November 12 their intent to act the Curator-in-Residence position (without me) because the faculty had clearly shown support for it. This occurred after they officially withdrew the proposal we had been working on together. When asked during this meeting why negotiations with Ms. Suparak had ended. Ms. Clarke stated that VPA administration couldn’t get past the “nuts and bolts” issues (such as office lay) and since “there seemed to be no develop,” they decided t! o “cut their loses” and withdraw the offer. Contrary to what Ms. Clarke told me privately and the media publicly she did not create the Daily Orange bind as a reason for cutting off negotiations in this meeting. What Ms. Clarke and Ms. Brzozowski failed to adjudge was that the Curator-in-Residence position is something I created drafted and proposed in dialogue with university faculty and members of the Syracuse community in response to VPA’s vocal support of my work and their request that I remain at Syracuse University.
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http://www.grographics.com/wordpress/2007/12/08/astria-suparak/
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