Week one as interim arts editor and I’m already handling some big-gun issues that come with the title.Vaginaenvy (a completely anonymous pseudonym of an alibi.com reader) brought to our attention an omission from a recent gallery review ["Fading Bloom," Sept. 20-26]. The piece was written by John Photos—a freelance art reviewer and photographer new to Albuquerque via the rich art scene of Chicago—about the Downtown Contemporary Arts Center. The review wasn’t exactly glowing and drew some (expected) criticism. The problem Vaginaenvy pointed out was Photos’ status as a gallery assistant at 516 Arts, another Downtown art gallery, wasn’t included in the piece. Vaginaenvy said, "Journalists should always reveal any affiliations that might endanger their impartiality." We agree wholeheartedly. I conversed with Steven Robert Allen (remember him?). He concurred and said he should have pointed out John’s affiliations. This was Steven’s and my omission, not John’s. Steve and I agree that anyone entrenched in the Burque art scene knows practically everyone else in the Burque art scene, and they probably have a finger in a few pies. In the future, reviews will come with a statement clearly indicating any pertinent affiliations. I’ll make sure you know who your reviewer is and what organizations they may work for, and keep them from reviewing a show they’ve worked on. Your task is to form your own opinions about what’s being reviewed.I’ll be happy to handle any more big guns you’ve got for me. Just please remember to unload them first.
Pride Logo Pronto
This doesn’t give you much time, but sometimes a rush job is the best job. Albuquerque Pride is looking for a logo for Pride 2008, themed "Live Love Be." Digital logos may be in black-and-white or color (but no more than eight colors from the primary spectrum) and 300 dpi quality. Logos must include the year and the words "Albuquerque Pride" and “gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.” All submissions (here comes the rush part) must be submitted via e-mail to abqpride@aol.com by Friday, Oct. 5 . Final selections will be made after online voting at www.abqpride.com ends on Oct. 21. If you have any questions, call the Pride Line at 873-8084.
