Art Curator Doesn’t Deal

I have never read such a vindictive commentary as was Christopher Knight’s (“Nonprofit Groups’ Credibility on Line With Dealer Shows,” Calendar, Aug. 12). Knight poses some serious questions as to the curatorial practices of our nonprofit spaces.

But Sue Spaid would be the first to admit that she is and has always been more of a curator than a “dealer,” and it is as a curator that she has been celebrated throughout the city and beyond. She is one of Los Angeles’ most distinctive and refreshing voices in regard to the visual arts, for which she has an infectious love. Her work as a curator has far more to do with her positive attitude toward emerging artists than it does with any hidden agenda regarding artist promotion. Institutions want to work with her to put together significant exhibitions and people want to see those exhibitions.

It’s time Mr. Knight recognized what everyone else in the art world already knows: The 1980s are over. Every gallery in Los Angeles is, more or less, a non-profit space. People who exhibit art in our city, in whatever venue, do it more for love than money.

PAUL KOPEIKIN, Paul Kopeikin Gallery, Los Angeles