The requests made by Wesleyan University Press (WUP) of Witte de With (WdW) gallery and the latter’s responses are listed below. Also listed are lacunae in the information such whether and/or how Zong! and/or Gregson vs. Gilbert were used in Hamadeh’s Prix de Rome installation.
Requests and Questions of Rana Hamadeh and WdW (to date)
— Whether or not pages of Zong! were used in the WdW installation;
(Contradictory responses provided)
— A detailed written apology to MNP and inclusion of a credit line where the project appears or is mentioned;
(No response)
—Clarification on how Rana Hamadeh changed her work after being denied permission;
(No response)
—Clarification of WdW’s policies and best practices re their artists obtaining permission;
(No response)
— That the work should be removed from the WdW gallery’s website;
(WdW states this can’t be done, since all their work has to be archived on line. Their suggested amendment of credit line proposed by the publisher, WUP, is unacceptable.)
— Copies of the libretto, book and material related to Zong! and Gregson vs. Gilbert at the Prix de Rome installation;
(The first two were provided on a time sensitive link which has now disappeared. No information provided concerning the Prix de Rome installation.)
—Request for the name of the gallery and the contact person related to her use of her Prix de Rome installation;
(Not provided)
—Request for a fee to be paid for use of the work at WdW as well as in other contexts if necessary.
(No response)
Personal Asks
If anyone feels confident about and/or moved by the issues raised on this site, support could take one of many forms:
— Writing an article or a short response on the issue, which will be posted on the site. I would also encourage sending a copy of the article/response to any or all the parties listed below;
— Writing a letter directly to WdW gallery and Theatre Rotterdam expressing your views, and calling upon the galleries to act fairly and responsibly;
— Sharing this site with those who might or would be interested in these issues.
Information still needed
Contact for the government funders of WdW gallery and Prix de Rome. This will be provided as soon as it is obtained.
Addresses
Witte de With (WdW) Gallery
Contact — Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy — sofia@wdw.nl
Prix de Rome jury
Contact — m.beerman@mondrianfonds.nl
Rana Hamadeh: hamadeh.rana@gmail.com (NB: This email address appears on Rana Hamadeh’s website.)
Theater Rotterdam, Rotterdam (No contact info to date)
La Fayette Anticipations — lafayette anticipations.com
Contact — Francois Quentin — fquintin@galerieslafayette.com