Quotes from Michael Roth:
“Zonker Harris day should not be on the calendar next year, and it won’t be,” Roth said. “The institution should make it clear that it’s not supporting things that are stupid.” (“Blunt refusal: Reslife says no to funding Zonker Harris Day,” Feb. 29, vol. CXLIII, no. 33.)
“’Michael Roth, what are you doing about global warming?’ These were the words I saw graffitied [in chalk] on the sidewalk near my office this week… What an important subject, but what a dumb way to articulate it!” (Blog post by Roth, Sep. 28, 2007,) (roth.blogs.wesleyan.edu.)
Roth: you are a philistine! Subculture, kitsch, unconventional forms of creativity and outsider art are things that a Wesleyan president should celebrate, not censor. We’re appreciative of your large donation to the “Skittles” exhibition, but unfortunately Zilkha is not (and should not be) the only forum for creative expression on campus.
Graffiti is an art form. The Whitney Museum of American Art did a whole show last summer based on drug culture. Have you picked up an art book in the last five years? A campaign of elitism and censorship at Wesleyan is what will really make our graduates look “dumb” when they go out into the world and are ignorant about contemporary trends in American culture.
Zonker Harris Day is a legitimate festival of art and music with a cheeky name. Writing something in chalk — as opposed to, say, a blog — evokes a specific political dialogue about access and power as part of the message. Get off your high horse and think twice before you dismiss student art and expression as “stupid” or “dumb” just because it’s not a pretty painting in a gallery.
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