The Official New Yorker Conference Response to Art Fag City

by Art Fag City on March 19, 2007 · 12 comments


Screengrab AFC

Two weeks ago I observed that the New Yorker Conference about “new ideas, forward thinking and eye-opening innovation” slated only 3 women of 24 invited panelists to participate. I don’t think this fairly represents the work women are doing in the field, so I sent a link to the post I wrote to their press office representative Sonya McNair. I received radio silence in return. Deciding that I probably wasn’t going to hear from McNair via email, I left a message on her machine telling her that I hoped to discuss the matter further with her, as an equal representation of women at such conferences remains very important to those working within creative fields. Later the next day McNair left the following message for me.

Hello Paddy, This is Sonya McNair With the New Yorker Press Office

Thank you for your call and certainly for your interest and while we appreciate and share your enthusiasm as this really is an important subject, we do not discuss our editorial decision making process. So I certainly appreciate and share your enthusiasm as we find it very important to us as well. So I thank you again and have a great day.

Let me make this much clear: I don’t appreciate having my words misrepresented. Enthusiasm implies that I am excited about the fact that the conference lacks women panelists, and I’m not. What’s more, why should I believe that “this important subject” has any weight to the New Yorker, when the response I’ve been given indicates the opposite. Since the time of my writing about this conference, 9 male panelists have been added to their website list, and no women. It’s time we started calling people out on this. A List of Women for Your Conference exists. It’s time the New Yorker started using it.

Related: The Tokion Conference 2006: 40 male participants, 5 female participants

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  • Art Fag City

    To the person who wrote under the name Rodrigo: While I appreciate your comment and wish to respond to it, the policy of this blog is to only publish the comments of those who leave real email addresses. Your comment is on file so if you wish to have it posted, please send us your name and email address.

  • Art Fag City

    To the person who wrote under the name Rodrigo: While I appreciate your comment and wish to respond to it, the policy of this blog is to only publish the comments of those who leave real email addresses. Your comment is on file so if you wish to have it posted, please send us your name and email address.

  • http://www.thereeler.com/the_blog/screening_gotham_reign_over_3000_miles_away.php The Reeler

    Screening Gotham: Reign Over 3,000 Miles Away…

    Also: Maysles just wants to see you happy; filmmakers become comic-book heroes…

  • Art Fag City

    This comment originally posted by Rodrigo:

    I really like your site but couldnt disagree with you more here… I thought this was silly during the whole Tokion conference thing too. I think it would be insulting if they picked female participants off of “A List of Women for Your Conference” just because they are women. Talk about demeaning. Zada Hadid doesnt need to be on any “List of Women”.

    I give these people the benefit of the doubt that they try to come up with the best content possible and if there isnt some scoreboard up in the New Yorker office where they are ticking gender off, I for one am not offended. Are you going to start counting how many asians there are? How many black and hispanic people? Why does this not upset you? As a Latino should I put together a “List of Latinos for Your Conference” for them to consult? It’s a very narrow way to see the world.

    Awhile back Momus had a great piece on this issue (which he dubbed the “Certain Ratio Fallacy”) after a run in w/ the Guerilla Girls who were protesting the number of women appearing in the Venice Bienalle (and similar critiques of the ratio of women artists at PS1).

    http://imomus.livejournal.com/2006/05/14/

    I’d be curious to hear your take on it… (The first few paragraphs are about a similarly silly spat between music critics)

  • Art Fag City

    This comment originally posted by Rodrigo:

    I really like your site but couldnt disagree with you more here… I thought this was silly during the whole Tokion conference thing too. I think it would be insulting if they picked female participants off of “A List of Women for Your Conference” just because they are women. Talk about demeaning. Zada Hadid doesnt need to be on any “List of Women”.

    I give these people the benefit of the doubt that they try to come up with the best content possible and if there isnt some scoreboard up in the New Yorker office where they are ticking gender off, I for one am not offended. Are you going to start counting how many asians there are? How many black and hispanic people? Why does this not upset you? As a Latino should I put together a “List of Latinos for Your Conference” for them to consult? It’s a very narrow way to see the world.

    Awhile back Momus had a great piece on this issue (which he dubbed the “Certain Ratio Fallacy”) after a run in w/ the Guerilla Girls who were protesting the number of women appearing in the Venice Bienalle (and similar critiques of the ratio of women artists at PS1).

    http://imomus.livejournal.com/2006/05/14/

    I’d be curious to hear your take on it… (The first few paragraphs are about a similarly silly spat between music critics)

  • Art Fag City

    This comment originally posted by Rodrigo:

    I really like your site but couldnt disagree with you more here… I thought this was silly during the whole Tokion conference thing too. I think it would be insulting if they picked female participants off of “A List of Women for Your Conference” just because they are women. Talk about demeaning. Zada Hadid doesnt need to be on any “List of Women”.

    I give these people the benefit of the doubt that they try to come up with the best content possible and if there isnt some scoreboard up in the New Yorker office where they are ticking gender off, I for one am not offended. Are you going to start counting how many asians there are? How many black and hispanic people? Why does this not upset you? As a Latino should I put together a “List of Latinos for Your Conference” for them to consult? It’s a very narrow way to see the world.

    Awhile back Momus had a great piece on this issue (which he dubbed the “Certain Ratio Fallacy”) after a run in w/ the Guerilla Girls who were protesting the number of women appearing in the Venice Bienalle (and similar critiques of the ratio of women artists at PS1).

    http://imomus.livejournal.com/2006/05/14/

    I’d be curious to hear your take on it… (The first few paragraphs are about a similarly silly spat between music critics)

  • Art Fag City

    I never thought the point of the list was to use it exclusively, but to think of it as a resource. Zada Hadid may not need to be on a list, but she’s also probably not available. Having curated a few shows on my own, I do find I have to make a concerted effort to make the numbers even, and find work of equal quality.

    Anyway, I’ve actually responded in previous posts about the issue of minority representation. The larger issue of course when it comes to this narrowness you speak of is that feminist discussion in America tends to not think outside of its own geographical boundaries – myself included.

    More on momus later.

  • Art Fag City

    I never thought the point of the list was to use it exclusively, but to think of it as a resource. Zada Hadid may not need to be on a list, but she’s also probably not available. Having curated a few shows on my own, I do find I have to make a concerted effort to make the numbers even, and find work of equal quality.

    Anyway, I’ve actually responded in previous posts about the issue of minority representation. The larger issue of course when it comes to this narrowness you speak of is that feminist discussion in America tends to not think outside of its own geographical boundaries – myself included.

    More on momus later.

  • Art Fag City

    I never thought the point of the list was to use it exclusively, but to think of it as a resource. Zada Hadid may not need to be on a list, but she’s also probably not available. Having curated a few shows on my own, I do find I have to make a concerted effort to make the numbers even, and find work of equal quality.

    Anyway, I’ve actually responded in previous posts about the issue of minority representation. The larger issue of course when it comes to this narrowness you speak of is that feminist discussion in America tends to not think outside of its own geographical boundaries – myself included.

    More on momus later.

  • http://www.google.com Alex

    Thank You

  • http://www.google.com Alex

    Thank You

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