I am writing on behalf of the board of directors of HART (Homeless Animal Rescue Team). Numerous volunteers and others have contacted us about how truly taken aback they are at the inclusion of a petrified cat in the recent 927 Show. While art should be able to broach any subject, the same does not apply to how a piece is executed. Certain things are no longer “art.” Dead animals are one; one sees them in carnival freak shows, not art shows.

Other considerations: Was food consumed in the same room as the dead cat? Were steps taken to limit the spread of any associated infectious agents to local domestic and feral animals?

Allied Arts should be commended for continuing to provide a venue for local artists to explore new styles and methodologies. But if everything is “art,” then nothing is art.