Saving Provincetown Arts
To the editor:
Your Oct. 17 article “Eight of 11 Board Members Quit Provincetown Arts” [page 9] was one-sided and didn’t present a complete and balanced account of events. As you noted, one of the people whose written comments are quoted extensively in the article, Mary Maxwell, is a backer of the Independent. More important is that the article missed the main point of the recent upheaval at the organization.
The actions of a few members of the board of Provincetown Arts threatened the future of the magazine and Provincetown Arts Press. It was those actions that spurred dozens of influential Cape Cod business owners, nonprofit leaders, artists, writers, and others to sign a letter calling for changes to the leadership and support for its longstanding director and staff.
As two of those signers, we have been involved with the Press for most of its existence as contributors and appreciative readers. The outcome of this crisis is a great relief to us and to many others who care deeply about this publication and those who have created it. Several new members have joined the board. The magazine and the press are moving forward harmoniously with new editorial staff and leadership.
Provincetown Arts magazine has been a cultural institution since 1985, its longevity owed primarily to founding editor Chris Busa, who has shaped it to reflect Provincetown’s unique spirit and history as an arts colony in a way no other publication has done. It has existed to serve the community and, with the community’s support, will continue to thrive into its 35th year and beyond. We believe your publication should honor that fact.
Gail Mazur, Cambridge
Livia Tenzer, New York City
Gail Mazur is a member of the Provincetown Arts Board of Advisors. Livia Tenzer is a contributor to the magazine.
Some Kind of Mushroom
To the editor:
Were all those mushrooms in the photo accompanying Elspeth Hay’s “Kitchen Table” column on page 23 of your Oct. 17 issue boletes?
I’m curious about the white ones. Were they found around here?
Francis Iacono, Provincetown
Editor’s note: The mushrooms in the photo were all found on Great Island in Wellfleet by Bill Yule of Haddam, Conn. (see “Fungi Fans Pick More Than They Can Chew,” page B10, Oct. 10). Not all are boletes. Photographer Sophie Ruehr believes the white ones are of the genus Amanita, which contains about 600 species, including both edible, psychoactive, and highly toxic ones. The Audubon Society’s field guide to mushrooms advises against eating Amanita fungi unless the species is known with absolute certainty.
Cameras Are Waste of Money
To the editor:
Re: “Action, Cameras, Light” [Letter From the Editor, Oct. 17] I think it’s a waste of money to record board and committee meetings unless each member has a microphone and a microphone is available for audience responses. Otherwise just a bunch of inaudible noise is broadcast.
Combine that with the reality that at my age I’m sure my televised image would resemble my driver’s license photo, which appears to be a cross between a mug shot and an autopsy photo. So I shy away from speaking at town and committee meetings altogether when my image will be televised.
Youth is a beautiful thing. Old age — not so much.
Mike Rice, Wellfleet
Letters to the Independent
The Provincetown Independent welcomes letters from readers on all subjects. They must be signed with the writer’s name, home address, and telephone number (for verification). Letters should be no more than 300 words and may be edited for clarity, accuracy, conciseness, and good taste. Longer pieces (up to 600 words) may be submitted for consideration as op-ed commentary. Send letters to [email protected] or by mail to P.O. Box 1034, Provincetown, MA 02657.
