15 Bytes

The response to our attempts to entice readers to comment about the articles in our editions of 15 Bytes has been, so far, at best, tepid.

We recognize that this may be due to the even-handed and formal prose employed by our writers, who aspire to the highest degree of professional journalism. With this in mind, we hope to jumpstart the conversation with some rather more "snarky" prose by one of our readers, Brad Slaugh. When Brad heard, last fall, that Ric Collier of the Salt Lake Art Center had resigned and that the search was on for a new director (see page 3 for the full article), he penned the following open letter and addressed it to the Salt Lake Art Center.

If you have comments about the SL Art Center article or other articles in this month's edition, please comment by clicking the link below.

"Dear Salt Lake Art Center,

What kind of input does the artistic community in Salt Lake/Utah have in your selection process?  

I for one would like to see someone brought in who is considerably more supportive of the local art scene, as there are a lot of interesting Utah artists who have been almost completely neglected by the Art Center for years.  The near constant stream of artists from elsewhere showing us slack-jawed yokels how it is strikes some of us as a bit patronizing, and I for one would like to see the Art Center mix it up a bit more.  Perhaps splitting the time between the International and the local in some way that feels equitable and interesting might be a place to start.  Stimulus, response and all that.

Is there a forum for people in the community to express their views on this kind of thing while you folks look across the nation for a new honcho?  I understand the impulse to throw a wide net out there into the world in a noble attempt to avoid inbreeding but the flip side is that you end up with a candidate with no connection to or respect for the artists in Utah and who keeps bringing the holy Promethian fire down from the mountain without ever noticing the smoke already billowing from a host of chimneys right down here in the valley.

Let me know what you think.

Brad"

image: Adam Price, Leslie Peterson and Jay Heuman outside the Salt Lake Art Center photo by Gerry Johnson