OCMA Shows Need Vision

I was appalled at the recent article (“Sound Beginnings,” Jan. 20) in which Orange County Museum of Art board president Charles Martin, in commenting on the popularity of OCMA compared to the Newport Harbor Art Museum, says that Orange County residents “often lack the cultural acumen of denizens in such urban centers as Los Angeles.” It occurred to me that, in his making this statement, he was hoping that Orange County residents also lack vocabulary skills, and so would miss the meaning of his pompous remark.

While there is no question that Los Angeles is more cosmopolitan than Orange County, Martin’s museum seems to have little interest in changing the status quo. Indeed, the primary focus of OCMA’s new programs seem to have to do with financial success and high attendance figures as opposed to any sort of cultural or artistic relevance.

If I’m the only one who finds Mr. Martin’s statements inexcusably offensive, then perhaps he has proved his point.

Orange County needs cultural institutions with the vision and nerve to sponsor critically significant art exhibitions. Alas, the type of shows for which the Newport Harbor Art Museum was renowned are missed by at least one Orange County resident.

LEE KEARNEY

Laguna Beach