THANK YOU to all of you – for your signatures and comments, for spreading the word, and for your email and phone communications with the Guggenheim. But mostly: THANK YOU for being a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. I’m happy to report that our petition has BLOWN ALL PREVIOUS GOALS OUT OF THE WATER. These numbers are unprecedented and they undeniably convey a respect for life inherent within society’s collective consciousness. A respect missing from the Guggenheim’s current choices. The numbers speak for themselves. AFTER EXACTLY 3 DAYS WE HIT 315,000+ SIGNATURES. To put this in perspective: that is 100K+ people per day, or 1.2 signatures per second continuously since this petition’s creation. CONTINUE THE GREAT WORK: Let’s make it to 1 MILLION. Let’s make our voices impossible to ignore. Keep spreading the word about this petition via social media and personal outlets, keep commenting on and sharing media coverage, and continue encouraging friends and family to call and email the Guggenheim. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: while you continue these critical efforts, I ask that you please keep your messages respectful, measured and focused on the facts. It’s difficult but it is the best way to help the animals. • Additionally, please keep in mind that we are not aiming to have the upcoming show canceled; we are looking to have three specific problematic pieces removed: “Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other,” “A Case Study of Transference,” and “Theatre of the World.” • Finally, with respect to organizing a protest for this effort, we would like to hold off and instead give the Guggenheim a chance to respond. Only once internal discourse and petition efforts have proven ineffective will we potentially look into organizing a demonstration of some kind. DEVELOPMENTS & NEWS: • ASPCA BACKING: President and CEO of the ASPCA Matt Bershadker supports our movement! In a statement to Pix 11 he says, "The ASPCA opposes the use of animals in art if such practices produce pain, injury or distress to the animals. The video perpetuates the false stereotype that pit bulls are only purposeful as vicious dog fighting instruments, not as what they are at their core: affectionate and loyal animals who crave our attention and deserve safe and loving homes. This increases the obstacles standing in the way of their adoption, and endangers their lives.” The ASPCA statement goes on: “Because of these reasons, we believe the Guggenheim Museum should not have included this depiction of cruelty in the exhibit.” • HUFFINGTON POST COVERAGE: The Huffington Post published an article late Sat 9/23, including excerpts from a Pix 11 interview with our very own animal activist and artist Sophie Gamand (@sophiegamand). Check the media link in this update. o GUGGENHEIM SPEAKS: a spokeswoman for the Guggenheim told the HuffPost that the Museum worked with the artist and several insect care experts to make sure the live animals being used in “Theatre of the World” can “acclimate to their environment.” As the HuffPost article states, however, “It was not immediately clear what the museum’s initial press release meant when it said the reptiles and insects would ‘devour each other.’” We think there’s a lot that’s unclear here, HuffPost. See next point. • HISTORY OF CRUELTY: The “Theatre of the World” piece sparked controversy before in a 2007 art show in Vancouver, when the artist Huang Yong Ping refused to make the Vancouver Humane Society’s recommended adjustments to the display. A veterinarian had recommended added water bowls, giving the creatures a place to retreat, and changing the light. Rather than alter the exhibit, the artist preferred not to show. o Peter Fricker of the Humane Society said in a statement that the exhibit was designed to instigate aggression and told one newspaper that he thought Theatre of the World was “kind of sick.” We agree with you, Peter. o So, how are we to believe artist Huang will listen to the advice of veterinarians this time around? You tell me. Again – a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for coming together in such a big way! This movement has taken on a life of its own and has filled my heart with hope. YOU ALL have fueled the fire and the fire only grows - our determination is greater than ever to get the Guggenheim to respond in a way that represents their esteemed position as one of the most revered cultural institutions in the United States, and indeed, in the world. GUGGENHEIM: PLEASE HEAR US. We, like you, love art. We, like you, respect the need for pushing the envelope, for shock value, for breaking boundaries. Please show us that you, like us, ascribe to the position that animal cruelty holds no place in art. Please show the world that you embrace your responsibility as a prominent cultural institution by acknowledging the morally problematic nature of these three pieces. Show society that you will not exploit innocent beings in the name of art. The world is watching what you do. p.s. Please DM @steph_in_nola on Instagram if you have ideas for ways we can spread our message further, or get more traction internally at the Guggenheim.