‘We're proposing a new piece of arts "furniture" in the Sunday Star-Times - basically an occasional column of bite size, quirky, newsy pieces from the worlds of visual and performing arts. The emphasis would be on the odd (and the funny and the gossipy and the behind the scenes).’ – scatter-gun email from Kim Knight at the Sunday Star-Times to selected members of the artworld
Kim: “Are we going to run with this ‘painting monkey’ story?’
Editor: “Nah.”
Kim: “Ok, Ok, how about these photos of things lying around a construction site that look like contemporary art?”
Editor: “Hmmmm ... let me think ... no.”
Kim: “Right. Hang on, here’s one from a reader who has a three year old who sculpts in bronze.”
Editor: “I don’t think so.”
Kim: “Street names that are the same as the names of well-known New Zealand artists?”
Editor: “Come on, don't be juvenile.”
Kim: “Here's some gossip that reckons Chris Saines is leaving the Auckland Art Gallery after the new building opens to take up a senior position in the City Council?”
Editor: “That's more like it. Can you verify it?
Kim: “No.”
Editor: “No.”
Kim: “How about something on those art works that you see in the background in movies?”
Editor: “No one is going to be interested in that.”
Kim: “Profiles on artists who have been forgotten?”
Editor: “Forget it.”
Kim: “Artists with tatoos?”
Editor: “Look, that's enough. We’re journalists running a quality newspaper, not some flakey anything-goes blog.”
Source: You can read the full Sunday-Times email here
