Controversial artwork shows in Rhode Island
Last year. The Gazette featured a story on my large painting, “The Innocents.” Neither the editorial nor the feature story sought to vindicate the competence of the painting as art, but rightly focused upon general principle, eg., the decision-making process which was anything but transparent and involved no one with any fine arts background.
Due to that courageous commentary, Schenectady County Community College changed its process and policies in this regard. Principle triumphed.
Recently, I had a happy nod to “The Innocents” as a competent work of contemporary art with the notification that the painting has been accepted into an open all-media National Show sponsored by the Providence Art Club by a juror whose credentials in contemporary art are impeccable.
Providence, R.I, is home to the internationally known Rhode Island School of Design and the juror, Dominic Molon, is presently serving as Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. He had a field of 750 entries from across the country.
The exhibit is titled “Color” and opens today with a reception and awards ceremony from 2 to 4 p.m at 11 Thomas St. in Providence.
Betty Pieper
Scotia
School, teacher had responsibility for child
The March 25 letter, “Church mishandled locked-out child case,” by Sue Penny regarding the decision by the school to suspend the teacher for not doing its job is frightening.
The school — in accepting payment for the care and well-being of a student while in their care — makes it responsible for the student being left outside. The argument is the 9-year old should have banged on the doors and windows to gain entry into the building, what was the staff doing for 10 minutes inside the building? The teacher should have done a head count on students leaving the building and a head count on re-entry.
A situation that could have happened, but fortunately did not, is the student became injured or worse kidnapped while being left unattended. Fast forward to a court room with a seated jury at which the defense claims a Sue Penny’s defense. I believe the jury would come back with a greater amount of a settlement than the one asked.
The administration acted properly by suspending a teacher who is getting paid to provide that care and as a result of not doing their job, put a student in harm’s way.
The administration is liable for the care of the student and then directs that responsibility to the teacher. If the teacher acts irresponsibly by not doing a head count, then the teacher, not the student, should pay the consequences.
The student, I believe, came to respect the school’s administration for showing concern for the student and not the teacher.
John Barr
Delanson
Skelos and son have earned time in prison
Re: March 28 editorial, “No leniency for Skelos”: I agree wholeheartedly with all that you stated. The father knew exactly what he was doing, he knew it was wrong, he knew he was breaking the law and knew he was trashing the public’s trust in him as an elected official. That says it all, I think.
So, why should he or his arrogant son, who actually thumbed his nose at one of his superiors at one of his “jobs,” get anything but what they deserve? There is not one good reason. Send them both to prison where they deserve to be. That’s where they both belong. And I certainly hope that’s what happens in this case.
Let’s not even discuss the fact that the father will still get a pension of almost $100,000 a year, even though he knowingly and egregiously broke the law. It makes me sick to think that I, and other hard-working people of this overtaxed state, will continue to contribute to this and Silver’s pensions. It’s a joke and I’m sure they all think it’s funny. That needs to change, quickly. If they break the law, no pension. Then maybe, just maybe, they’d think twice. Pitiful isn’t it?
Most honest people I know wouldn’t dream of pulling anything near to heights of this. Send them to prison, New York state. Do the right thing, please.
Mary Baker
Perth
Categories: Letters to the Editor
