For Immediate Release (3/15/98):
provided through OPENAIR-MARKET NET
On 3/14/98 Parks Enforcement officials led by Deputy Chief of Enforcement Reeves and Lt. Berisha told the artists demonstrating in front of the Met, "The Mayor's office had a meeting about this yesterday and the outcome is not good for you. Soon you're not going to be here at all." That day the museum began distributing a leaflet claiming that it was now in favor of an artist permit.
During the previous 16 days of artist arrests, art confiscations and protest, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has claimed to be against the Parks Department imposing an unconstitutional permit system for street artists. A carefully worded memo from museum director Phillipe de Montebello and its president William Leurs was issued to all museum staff on 2/27 stating that the museum preferred, "...that this new system not be introduced".
During a NY 1 interview on 3/3/98 Parks Commissioner Henry Stern contradicted the museum's claim that it is against artist permits when he said, "The Met is of two minds on this issue. Some people feel this way, other people thank us privately for doing what we're doing. There are a lot of artists on the Met's staff and they have fears that whenever any artist is regulated that it's a Police State."
Since the artist-permit protest began on February 24th there have been 10 artist arrests and more than 40 separate incidents of art confiscations. On 3/13 Chief of Enforcement Brash personally confiscated art from a disabled man in a wheelchair. Parks Enforcement Police have also been confiscating books, photographs of artist arrests, protest signs and literature about the protest.
for information contact: Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists: Response To Illegal State Tactics) (718) 369-2111 E-Mail: ARTISTpres@aol.com For the 2nd circuit's decision protecting street artists' First Amendment rights and other releases about this issue see: http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html.
Other contact info:
Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern (212) 360-1305,
Parks Enforcement 1-800-427-0933 (or) (212) 427-8700;
Thomas Rozinski, General Counsel Parks 360-1314,
William Leurs, President Metropolitan Museum 570-3900,
Ashton Hawkins, Legal Counsel Metropolitan Museum 570-3936,
Central Park Conservancy (212) 315-0385.
Also see: NY Times 3/2/98 B1; Newsday 3/2/98 A7; Village Voice 2/24/98 pg 57; Newsday 2/26/98 A8; NY Times 6/3/97 B2; NY Times editorial 3/4/98