Fluxus for the people

To the Editors:

It was good to see the extensive report on the Gwangju Biennale by Richard Vine in the January issue of Art in America. However, I have one correction and one comment regarding the show's Fluxus section, for which I served as curator. First, although the Silvermans have been generous supporters of Cranbrook and other cultural institutions over the years, and a selection of instructional drawings from their collection was on view at the Cranbrook Art Museum this past fall, the Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection is not "at the Cranbrook Art Museum." It is a private Detroit collection curated by the New York-based Jon Hendricks.

Second, while I can appreciate the fact that Richard Vine might not choose to fly 12,000 miles to view work that is already familiar to him, the Fluxus section of the diachronic "First Chapter" was also intended for the Biennale's Korean visitors. Following the death last February of Nam June Paik, one of Korea's artistic heroes and an important member of Fluxus, artistic director Kim Honghee felt that it was a timely moment to showcase Paik's work within the context of this first truly international art collective, whose work is little known in Korea.

Jacquelynn Baas

The Sea Ranch, Calif.

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