From: Jerry Tartaglia (email suppressed)
Date: Sat Feb 07 2004 - 12:07:13 PST
Jack Smith Update (2/4/04)
J. Hoberman
The filmmaker-performance artist-photographer-underground genius Jack Smith,
who died of HIV-AIDS in 1989, was estranged from his family in life and
abandoned by them in sickness. In the years that followed, the artist's
friends and admirers successfully restored Smith's films, archived his
papers, preserved his artistic output, organized a major museum exhibit, and
labored to create his burgeoning posthumous reputation-a project organized
by the not-for-profit Plaster Foundation. Then someone smelled money.
Having waited for nearly 13 years, Smith's sister Mary Sue Slater petitioned
the Public Administrator to take possession of her brother's legacy;
consequently, the Public Administrator filed a claim against the Plaster
Foundation on Slater's behalf in Surrogate's Court. Last week, arguing that
the statute of limitations had long since expired, the PF lost a preliminary
motion to dismiss the suit. This process only marks the beginning of the
case; nevertheless, the proceedings were a painful six minutes. Plaster
Foundation lawyer Mary D. Dorman was prevented from speaking while Peter
Schram, the lawyer for the Public Administrator (and a former clerk for
Judge Eve Preminger) was permitted to make several unchallenged allegations
about the Plaster Foundation.
Among other things, Schram suggested that individuals associated with the
Plaster Foundation of enriching themselves with Smith's legacy. These
charges-which have been since been echoed by apologists or mouthpieces for
the Slater family-are hurtful. They are also untrue and without basis. But
we live in America; since Mary Sue Slaters' sudden belated interest in her
brother's legacy is apparently all about money, it naturally seems
impossible that anyone could have motives regarding the preservation and
dissemination of the work which was not mercenary.
Speaking of motives: We suspect that an unscrupulous collector is behind the
Slater suit. Still, people purporting to speak for the Slater family have
suggested that the family's intention is to place Jack Smith's work in a
cultural institution. If this is true, the Plaster Foundation welcomes such
a plan. The language which has been cited is taken directly from an old PF
mission statement and indeed, the idea has been put forth by the Plaster
Foundation in virtually every one of its (until now unanswered)
communications with the Slaters, going back to 1990.
Jim Hoberman
Plaster Foundation, Inc.
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For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.