THANK YOU – Typed in uppercase, said with a great sigh of relief. I couldn’t agree more with Holland Cotter’s “Opportunity on Madison” (The New York Times, July 29) which put out a constructive criticism of New York’s Metropolitan Museum and its decision to turn its newly acquired exhibition space into yet another contemporary art gallery. The Met’s hodgepodge contemporary art collection isn’t necessarily the most consistent. Although the article started off on a slightly pessimistic note, I found it rather hopeful of new possibilities that can and should be explored by every museum and art gallery in terms of utilising their existing collections. Trying to entice the public with just new things will no longer work. Not that blockbuster attractions will ever get old but I think that ours is a more intelligent and informed public ready for a more sophisticated and engaging narrative. The suggestion of reinventing curatorial practice is so realistic and blatantly obvious that it will be foolish to overlook it. It will only take the Met to the next level in its role as a repository of material culture and history.
Margarett Cortez