George,

I feel that Gov. Gilmore did the right thing blasting those responsible for allowing Sally Mann to push those limits and show her newest work at the museum.

Jenn and I had the opportunity to view her work last year at the Bayly Art Museum (Republicans in a museum?). Her art was pushing the pornographic limits then - but it was still somewhat soft and I was unsure how I felt. After all, they were just naked bodies. Jenn was not too shocked and so we discussed how we felt about it. We decided it was art - borderline.

Now it appears Sally Mann is showing quite a bit more. Menstruating women, masturbating men, girls urinating on a rock... that does not sound like art to me in any way.

In the description provided in the Daily Progress, I can only say that it was porn. Before criticizing art, I normally would like to see it. In this case, I'll take the word [of the Richmond resident who said Mann displayed a nude shot of herself early in the program, before moving on to landscapes and other nudes, including some that were sexually explicit and a picture of naked girls urinating in the company of a woman on a rock] for it.

Ironically, Governor Gilmore will probably get the Jefferson Muzzle (www.tjcenter.org/) for this...

Will Lyster (electronic mail, May 19, 2000).