Art is not allowed on art panels in the art show?

That topic may seem a little dramatic, but that is what a snarky, unprofessional, and incredibly rude email from art show director PeterCat to my wife, Wicked Sairah, implies.

Sairah emailed the art show director as is suggested on the website, seeking clarification about displaying her shadow boxes in an art panel. Specifically, she was concerned about the meaning of "glass mounting" and whether framed art with a glass front was in fact allowed.

From the Anthrocon website:
"All flat art should be matted and backed, framed, or otherwise mounted, ready to hang upon arrival. Framed works should have a wire for hanging, securely attached to the artwork. Glass mountings will not be allowed. The idea is to protect the artwork and minimize the amount of fuss needed to display it. Contact the Art Show Director if you have questions or an unusual situation."

"Three-dimensional works should have a case to hold the items. If you do not have a case, we cannot guarantee the safety of the item."

The website specifically asks 3d artists to mount their work in a case to protect it. How confusing. Are shadow boxes allowed, or aren't they?

Here is the official response she received:
From: PeterCat
To: Wicked Sairah
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 02:53:24 -0400
Subject: Re: Question about glass in art show

On 4/11/07, Wicked Sairah wrote:
>I do 3D work, and normally do just sculptures, but this year I will
>be sending (with a friend) 3D work, that will be mounted in shadow
>boxes, with glass on the front. They are rather small and I am
>personally not worried about them breaking. It would be rather hard
>to remove the glass once I am done with the art, so before I mail
>them to my friend to take to AC, I need to know if they will be
>allowed or not in the art show due to the glass.

There is a simple test:
1. Find a place with a hard concrete floor.
2. Hold the artwork at a height of 5-6 feet above the floor.
3. Drop it.
Does it break?
That's why we don't allow glass on the panels. You can request table
space instead.

Lets ignore the incredibly insensitive suggestion that my wife start throwing her artwork around to determine whether it's good enough for Anthrocon. Does this mean that framed art is not welcomed in your art show? Or simply that artists must not frame with glass, but instead a more expensive lexan or a cheap and shoddy plastic?

Or does this mean that any art which could be damaged from a 6 foot drop on to concrete is not allowed? That would exclude nearly the entire art show, given that most art is Fragile. Wooden frames would break with that kind of abuse. Metal frames would bend. Even pieces that are simply matted would suffer noticable damage.

Is Anthrocon suggesting that they will not be handling artwork with care?

If this were some new kid helping out with the art show, or perhaps a private email, perhaps I could understand. But this is an email from the director of the show himself, from the official Anthrocon art show email address. Never before have my wife and I received such unprofessional treatment from a furry convention. She is considering never sending art to AC ever again. I am convinced that she should not let somebody who has failed in their responsibility affect her business.

This response was unhelpful, unprofessional, disrespectful, uncalled for, and simply unacceptable. Please, Anthrocon, tell me that this is not the way the rest of the staff conducts business. Would PeterCat write so condescendingly to some of the more well known artists? Artists are the life-blood of a convention, and they deserve your utmost respect. Without them, yes even the lesser known artists, the joy and meaning of furry conventions would be dramatically reduced. Please assure me that this is a problem that is going to be swiftly resolved.

-Blueroo