I hate this city sometimes.

I think Donna MacArthur from View West Management is a decent person, and dedicated to her clients. As Cheryl Pigula from TD Canada Trust said about View West “We really appreciate how quickly you always act on things … thanks again for being all over this”. Great to see TD supporting the arts again in Calgary!
Ron

^ what? ^

@ Ron Martin: What???? I'm sure that this Donna person whom you mention is indeed a decent person ... but what the heck does that have to do with this blog or the issues of censorship and the arbitrary eviction of an art gallery!?

View West Management refused to renew the gallery's lease on the basis of the artwork being shown; therefore they need to take the responsibility (and heat!) for their own ill-considered and heavy-handed decision.

Unique spaces like Sugar Cube Gallery add character and vibrancy to what is all too often a dull and staid city. To have these small, one-of-a-kind places shut down on the prudish whim of one or two complainants does a disservice to all of the other Calgarians who want to live in an interesting, cosmopolitan city and who perhaps ENJOY seeing art or other unexpected, non-commercial delights as they go about their day-to-day existences. Spaces like Sugar Cube also attract people to the 17th Avenue strip, which vitalizes the area for both the public and other area tenants and merchants alike.

Censorship is for grumpy, immature people who believe they have the right to control what others are permitted to see, hear or read. Those of us who are adults and do not wish to be controlled by others should take a stand against this sort of embarrassing prudery, which results in culturally impoverished communities for us all.

You can put the Cultural Capital of Canada in the Cowtown ... but sadly, it seems, you can't take the Cowtown out of the Cultural Capital.

P2: Position Gallery was shutdown in 2005 for the same reason. It should be a simple matter of a discussion over what is comfortable or appropriate for window display, not default to an eviction. This illustrates yet again the many challenges faced by Calgary artists and gallerists. In a truly creatively enlightened, progressive & cosmopolitan city, this would not be an issue.