tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11838465.post7527687402307172964..comments2024-02-24T18:30:26.749-07:00Comments on prairiemary: THE CALICO AD CLUB & THE GINGHAM CMR MUSEUMUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11838465.post-18522931280850992852009-09-21T09:59:19.068-06:002009-09-21T09:59:19.068-06:00Here's a couple of my comments to the Tribune ...Here's a couple of my comments to the Tribune on their stories about the Russell/Ad Club breakup. Your account was much better than theirs, of course.<br /><br />When I returned to GF to stay in the early 1980's, I alternated each year between joining the Russell Museum and Paris Gibson Square. It soon became apparent that the Square was the real art museum in GF, supported by the County, the School District (which owned the building in those days), and a host of local artists and volunteers. But they had to share the Square with the History Museum, and that proved to be a rocky road, indeed.<br />I never liked the "style" of the Russell management after the first expansion of the building in the late '70's. And the "western art" people were always trying to suppress or remove the contemporary art people at the Square. PGSMOA had, for many years, an "Art Equinox" show and auction. The Russell scheduled a Fall auction of "miniatures" at the same time to "compete" with it.<br />And we all know the sad story of how Liz Dear was fired and her Catalog Raisonne shipped off to Oklahoma.<br />This was Ginger Renner's doing. Why are they listening to her? <br /><br />============<br /><br />I'm no fan of the Ad Club or commercial advertising in general. They are making a fortune off of pharmaceutical advertising, as well as the misguided "Montana Meth Project" which spends millions of taxpayer dollars on "media buys" - a good deal for them, but not for us.<br />But the Russell Auction was a great success from almost every point of view. What needs to happen, now, is for control of the Russell Museum to come back to Great Falls. They have a 40-member Board, less than 10 of whom are real Montanans. People like Ginger Renner and some wealthy Texas and Oklahoma oil men have taken it over. And that, I'm sure, explains the choice for the new Director. He's not interested in what Montanans or the local business community thinks. It's his "brand," and he's going to protect it! From whom? Charlie Russell's friends and neighbors?<br />Let's choose a new Board for the Russell, and exclude anyone who doesn't primarily live in Montana, with ties to the Russell tradition.Paul Stephenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01269349194301194408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11838465.post-3337889050859333782009-08-31T10:57:07.856-06:002009-08-31T10:57:07.856-06:00Mary, I believe you are absolutely correct in your...Mary, I believe you are absolutely correct in your analysis. Years of watching the interaction and waiting for the other shoe to drop, while the chasm between the two entities grew. It will be interesting to see what comes of this!Dona Stebbinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11838465.post-915373078417718452009-08-31T07:41:24.280-06:002009-08-31T07:41:24.280-06:00It's the old saying, "death begins at bir...It's the old saying, "death begins at birth," right?<br /><br />It's the elephant in the room. We believe we elect who we elect. And then behind the scenes, there is the REAL election. That's the illusion of citizen participation that keeps the revolution at bay and the staus quo chugging along.<br /><br />I repeat: The illusion of participation.<br /><br />It's sort of like how ranchers and businessmen gripe about people "on welfare" (even though "welfare" for the poor as we know it hasn't been around for years). They gripe about government. The same government that allows them to lease grazing and mineral rights at rates that were low in the 1890s...and still at 1890s prices! The well-off and the rich get all kinds of "welfare" (grants, tax breaks, etc.) from the government and "that's ok."<br /><br />They don't seem to understand that taking care of the destitute and unfortunate is not only ethically and morally correct, it is a safety valve for those "who have." Welfare kept the poor apathetic. Welfare was a safety net not just for the poor, but for the middle class and for the rich.<br /><br />Just get some mac and cheese with food stamps, pay the rent with vouchers, scrape up some beer money, talk about going back to school to get your GED (and magically, you too can become a CEO!) and poor people remain complaining but apathetic.<br /><br />When people lose everything, the clock begins ticking, and history shows in China, Russia..and 1770s America...well, all bets are off. I have seen those bumper stickers that say "Eat the Rich"<br /><br />I have grave concerns about all of itLance M. Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17404310713482611952noreply@blogger.com