Essay - Cornell University's Johnson Museum of Art Displays Straight Party Line

Photo 1 Copyright 2020 Nicholas Kalis

Essay

Is it art or political propaganda at Cornell University's on-campus art museum? - you be the judge. Your blogger took this photo while taking a self-guided tour of Cornell University. See for yourself at 114 Central Avenue, Ithaca, New York.

Editorial - Hate to deviate from the largely model railroad nature of this blog but … .

So much for diversity of opinions or lively discourse at Cornell. Apparently, curators at the Johnson Museum of Art believe discourse consists of them hanging art favorable to the left and letting any visitor who sees differently to just write an angry letter to the newspaper that never gets published. Visitors to this institution could get incensed, but pity is probably more appropriate. There is something sophomoric about the wielding of unrestrained power that curators exercise.

Seems in Ithaca the straight party line is all the rage - even decades apart! Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - I would take a harsher tone and say, imagination and creativity are the losers at play here in Ithaca. So when will curators at the Johnson Museum of Art hang a work of art mocking Hillary or Bernie Sanders? My bet is on "never". The left is in control at Cornell and they wield their power with little regard for opposing viewpoints; and with little fear they will be called out.

Hard to conclude otherwise than that their curators are shameless.