"Artists" are no less prone to delusional pretensions than any other whining subgroup in our grossly overpopulated, over-indulged mass of stupefied consumer clones. In their minds, they are an endangered species. The art world's evolution is identical to any and all other aspects of a culture determined by the values of economics. The Western obsession with dead things, money, power and the destruction and/or domination of the natural world-strangely known as attributes of a Christian heritage-determines the future as you pretend otherwise.

It's a done deal. Artists conspiring with developers (even the touchy-feely arts speculators), politicians, lawyers and sundry social miscreants brought us the "Pearl"-which is only the local version of the same story in every community, everywhere, over and over ["Creative Bind," WW, June 8, 2005]. Ultimately, it all gets watered down, dumbed-down, priced out and cast aside to make room for the next wave of "opportunity."

Gimme more. Gimme more. Capitalism is a disease of the mind. A meme-plex as powerful as religion, equally destructive, squanderous, irrational and terminal.

I'm a sculptor. I live in a barn. No heat, no hot water, plenty of dust, but that's the creative life. It's not speculative, conceptual, competitive or contaminated by need. Artists, ignorant of the forces creating them, are questionable entities at best-and, by their ignorance, already responsible for what is. What's to change, anyway?

Joe Hertel
Southeast 56th Avenue

CORRECTION

WW's cover story last week ("Boss Hog'') incorrectly reported Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto's status on the TriMet board of directors. Giusto was reappointed last year to the board. WW regrets the error.