Money and Art (But Whose Money?)
Last week's clash between U.S. law enforcement and Central American migrants along the border with Mexico took place thousands of miles from New York. But the controversy surrounding the conflict found its way to New York City through an unlikely place: the Whitney Museum.
Two days after the event, the arts news site Hyperallergic reported that Warren B. Kanders, one of the museum’s top board members, owns Safariland, the company that made the tear gas used on the border.
In response to the news, more than 100 staffers at the museum wrote a letter demanding answers about Kanders and his business, which prompted responses from both him and the museum's director, Adam Weinberg. The controversy has led to criticism of the Whitney and restarted a conversation about the role of money in the arts, especially when it comes from donors that people disagree with.
This week on Money Talking, Charlie Herman discusses the issue with Robin Pogrebin, reporter for the Culture Desk at The New York Times, and Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic.
