Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 31-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
On the first rainy day after an usually dry summer, curator Nadine MacHilltop stood near the reception desk at Vancouver’s Black Dot Museum of Political Art listening to a lawyer on the other end of the phone question her integrity.
“Mr. Banes feels the agreement is unprofessional,” the lawyer said.
“It isn’t a matter of being unprofessional,” Nadine said. “It’s a conscious decision not to draw up contracts with artists. I work with individuals based on authentic connections, not legal obligations.”
“Therein lies the problem Mrs. MacHilltop,” the lawyer said. “My client wants to withdraw his services without incurring a lawsuit.”
“It’s Ms. MacHilltop, and we’re talking about an art exhibit in a small space in a part of town that no one goes to!” Nadine said looking around the empty, 30-by-40-foot room. “There isn’t going to be a lawsuit. If Jeffery Banes doesn’t want to hang a few of his paintings and stand around sipping wine with his pals while they tell him how truly grand he is, that’s hardly worth calling a lawyer over. He should have called me directly.”
Continued in Vol. 342
“Vacant Night Sky” from the album Sitting On Snaps (Matador, 1995) (download):
