An Inclusive Litany

7/12/93

Selections from the pre-taped "Acoustiguide," supplied to museumgoers who attended the 1993 Whitney Biennial, consisting of unplanned responses by Whitney's director and staff of curators to questions from performance artist Andrea Frazier:
"We live in a divided nation of, uh, class, and in terms of, uh, racial disharmony."

"I think for our audience this work is difficult, because it does deal with voices that have not previously really been heard in the Whitney Museum."

"I think of myself sometimes as an average museumgoer. I think I'm not average but I—I do try to put myself in different positions."

"You know, I mean, on one level I would say this piece depends on a certain level of theoretical knowledge, obviously, but then, I think on some days maybe it doesn't demand all that, you know? Maybe... it's really hard for me to say, really, what things people need, you know? I guess I know what I need."

"That's what I love about art. There's no right and there's no wrong, in a sense."

[From chief curator Elizabeth Sussman:] "If I... if I were able to write my imaginary text to the introduction of this Biennial, it would probably be somewhat be, um, somewhat... I would try... I don't know how I would do it. I could never do that. Let's say I love, or I loved, um, I don't know who. I don't know."

[Assistant curator Thelma Goldin, on one piece that consisted of over 200 rectangular panels, each painted to match the skin tone of a different subject:] "It's beautiful, I mean, and, it's, it's, you know, it's almost very sappy, I feel very sappy about it sometimes, but I feel like bursting out and singing, like, 'We are the world.' It's, like, really, like, gorgeous."