06/03/2024 5:53:46 ¶ ●

okay folks, when i posted that bookplate, i mentioned the occupation of the commissioner because it a) related to the piece & b) was also a way of explaining why i didn’t feel the need to edit out his full name, as he’s in a public-facing job & gave me permission to post unedited.

it was not an invitation to comment on his employer (there is literally no reason to do this on an art post about a personal commission) or to speculate or double-check about whether or not he is actually Jewish (this is unbelievably rude & i am so disappointed it needs to be said)

obviously (?) i am not personally connected to the Museum of the Bible, nor do i know enough about its current leadership to have any strong feelings about it. unfortunately, i think you will find a history of theft & questionable funding/interests in the foundation of most major museums - which is always good to know about, & totally irrelevant to this particular situation. what is relevant is that a Jewish curator of Judaica commissioned me, a Jewish illustrator, for a personal bookplate. the institution is not at all involved.

it is not okay to speculate about or disparage a client, even via implication, on an artist’s post. it’s also very offensive to suggest to me that i need to do a better job “vetting” my clients (to what extent? to whose satisfaction?) - i am a professional, i take work at my own discretion, i am not looking for input from strangers.

in the future i’ll be taking more steps to obscure (whenever possible) identifying details - i know i can only control my own actions, but i hope this reminder to think more before you offer up commentary is taken seriously.