Sunday rallies to protest the removal of The Gross Clinic, by Thomas Eakins, to Arkansas, will be held 10-11 a.m. at 10th and Locust in front of Jefferson Medical College’s Alumni Hall, which houses the Eakins right now.
[After reading in the Philadelphia Inquirer that daily noon-time vigils were scheduled, I contacted protest organizer Patrick Connors to check the facts. Here’s Patrick’s email in response to my query].
From Patrick Connors:
Dear Libby, thanks for the email and interest. You did not get your facts wrong (see posts here and here). The problem here is we are somewhat a flying-by-the-seat-of-our-pants school of protest (We are primarily painters not rabble rousers). In an effort to do the right thing, last night and this morning we went over our strategy and decided no protest/virgil would be conducted today (although others are certainly welcomed to do so. Any presence at Jefferson to shame them in this shabby affair).
Tomorrow Stanley Bielen and I will go to City Hall to do a protest [I assume this means today, since the email was sent yesterday–Libby].
Sell Billy Penn
One idea we have is to offer to sell the William Penn statue atop City Hall. You know, if this had taken place in some small hamlet in Italy, where the State Governor announces that a Perugino that graces the altar in local church was to be removed to Rome the villagers, in the middle of the night, would have hacked the painting out and hid it in some barn.
Sunday rallies
For the most part we want people to show up at the Sunday events: 11AM-Noon, 1000 block of Locust Street (in front of the Thom. Jeferson Alumni Hall, where the Eakins is housed. In fact you can go in and see the Eakins after noon). thanks again for your support.
with best regards, Patrick.
–Patrick Connors, a painter who teaches at PAFA and in New York, is the organizer of the rallies to retain The Gross Clinic, by Thomas Eakins, in Philadelphia
