The 2026 petition of complaints

 

Like me, some of you may have been surprised by Stuart Fullerton’s  email of July 18.  It was a comprehensive response to many issues.  All night drinking party?  No more 24 hour access to the building?  When did all that happen?

I only got the petition yesterday, forwarded by someone who got it from Bodo Stolzenberger , currently a candidate for the board.  Is he one of the ‘friends of the Palette” who composed it?  

As you may know, we can no longer have effective quarterly meetings.  They used to be a membership forum for issues like these, but now few attend because all voting has already taken place. An Internet forum might replace it, but the Board has yet to establish one - and the office will not share members email addresses.  The only way left to communicate with everyone is through the post office which is slow, expensive, and time consuming. I have done that myself from time to time. 

So instead we get a poorly circulated  petition like this one - which only became important because Stuart chose to answer it.   Thank you, Stuart! Personally, I don't think anonymous screeds deserve attention, much less response. 

But here they are, anyway, side by side, in case you’re curious.

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I have been asked by The Friends of The Palette & Chisel, to forward this information to you regarding events, and policy's recently enacted, by the current board, at the Palette and Chisel.

 First and foremost, long time instructor, Larry Paulsen, (12+ years teaching, at the Palette), has had his five, weekly, continually well attended, revenue producing, classes taken away by the President and Board of Directors, the verbal reason given was a violation of a recently instituted building curfew. No formal documentation was presented by the board, nor was there an appeal process in place to contest the decision, this is in addition to Larry being removed, from his private studio in the Coach-House, also due to the curfew violation. We are asking you to please sign the circulating petition, to return all of Larry's teaching positions and use of his Coach-House studio, 

The Board has recently instituted a little known curfew, from 11:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. seven days a week. Prior to this curfew the membership provided 24-hour access to building and studios. We are also aware that various groups rent the building and exit the building well in excess of 11:00 p.m. clearly violating the policy. Thus, by default, this policy appears to be disproportionally directed to the evening sessions, minimizing the amount of time monitors and instructors are available to communicate with members/non-members, students and guests, as well as clean up the studios in question and document their work. 

In addition to the six existing cameras, the board has added 10 new security cameras, two on the 2nd floor landing-main building, one in the basement, three additional courtyard cameras and 2 additional Coach House cameras. The cameras are recording video and audio and are being actively monitored by the board. No reason was given for the additional cameras and no events have occurred in recent years that would justify the expense or the need to actively monitor the video/audio of members and guests as they are moving through the building. 

In addition to the Jack Beckstrom's sculpture being removed. It has also been brought to our attention that what was voted on for the front garden renovation is not what was received. The initial plans called for trees along the Ruth Page West Wall, and numerous flowers and shrubs along the fence line and near the building facade. What was received can only be called two giant, gravel, kitty litter boxes. This process was also evident in the 3rd floor lighting project, which changed substantially from what was voted for. A membership approved plan should not be altered on a board member's whim. 

Please contact Executive Director, Bill Ewers, via email, to voice your displeasure with policy's being made by this current board, which are adversely affecting the integrity and culture of the Palette & Chisel. Please feel free to forward this information to any interested parties. We have included contact information for the Executive Director, President and Board,

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Board of Directors' Response to Petition 

  William Ewers Jul 18

It has come to the attention of the board of directors that a petition is being circulated concerning recent actions and policies at the P&C.

The board of directors is obligated to protect the P&C, its members, models, guests, and property. Providing a forum for live-model (often nude-model) artistic expression is fraught with potential for mischief, abuse, and exploitation. We respect and value our models, just as we respect and value our members, building, and grounds. The policies we have enacted are meant to safeguard the P&C and its reputation.

First, in 2023 we enacted, as a supplement to our sexual harassment policy, a code of conduct to regulate the interactions of instructors, employees, and monitors with our models. We concluded that certain kinds of behavior--particularly in the absence of a stated policy--put our organization and models at risk. This policy prohibits instructors, monitors, and employees at the P&C from dating or seeking to date the models. Given the nature of their work our models are in an obviously vulnerable position, and we will not permit anyone in a position of relative power, such as an instructor or monitor, to take advantage of that vulnerability. 

The second policy we enacted, in December of last year, was to establish business hours. This action was prompted by the behavior last fall of some members who held an all-night drinking session on the premises. Because this is not a reasonable or prudent use of the P&C, we established for the first time business hours: from 6 am to 11 pm, seven days a week. By any measure, these are generous hours that allow reasonable use of the property, including by those who attend evening classes and open studios. We are not aware of any other art academy that ha such permissive hours. And in fact, if members need to stay after hours to finish a project or get ready for a show, we are more than happy to accommodate them. But routinely hanging around the building into the small hours of the night, as some members were doing--and continued to do until quite recently--to no purpose, is not permitted. These business hours were emailed to the membership and posted in our buildings.

 The policy about business hours complements another regulation that we have long had in place: renting of private studios is for non-residential use only. The lease signed by all private studio renters states this clearly at the top of the first page, and use of a private studio for residential purposes will result in termination of the lease and eviction from the studio. We are not zoned o insured as a residential building and use of the property for that purpose poses immense risk for us and our members, legally, financially, and physically. We are not in the business of providing below-market apartments in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood. Studio renters agree to this prohibition, but we have found certain repeated, willful, violations of that rule. 

Regarding the security cameras. In preparation for high-profile exhibitions, we considered our existing security cameras. They were inadequate to cover the back door of the main building, th courtyard and coach house, and the second floor. To protect our permanent collection and Richard Schmid's work, to alleviate concerns that exhibitors have about the security of the building, and to deter criminal access to the property, we installed additional security cameras in April. These are in addition to cameras that have been in place in the main building for years. We concluded that additional security cameras would also help identify and alleviate the risk posed by reckless behavior on the property. Moreover, enhanced security is beneficial to the neighborhood and community that support us. 

Our policies have perhaps received inadequate publicity, despite being emailed and posted in the buildings. We will make additional efforts to bring these policies to everyone's attention. Rest assured, however, that where it has been warranted, these policies have been personally communicated to members--in some instances, repeatedly, where that member's conduct require it. Where the board has found violations of these policies and rules, they have been addressed after thoughtful consideration and discussion--and by a unanimous vote.

I know that some of you have been also asking for the reasons behind the dismissal of Larry Paulsen as an instructor. We do not discuss sensitive personnel or contractual matters in order to protect the interests of all parties involved. We appreciate Larry's contributions over the years. We are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and professional environment for everyone--models, instructors, members, guests, and staff.

Finally, I should say a word about the garden. The front garden had long been in deplorable shape. We have begun the job of restoring it, but the job is not finished. We have more to do ir establishing plantings in the garden and relieving the bareness of the plots of gravel. So the fro would look better in time for the Schmid event, it was necessary to get started, and with Alisa Kannett's work on this project we were able to break ground and get the new garden off to a go start. I have confidence that in time the garden will flourish and the gravel will look less bare. Going forward, we have contracted with our gardener to provide monthly maintenance to ensu the garden thrives. The board is determined to safeguard and grow the P&C.

As always, I welcome your input. Stuart Fullerton President The Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts