“That’s exactly what I intend to do. Provocations will be the first of many such exhibits that we’ll showcase just as soon as we have the appropriate space for it.”

“Did you get approval for the proposed renovations? “Bette had shared the plans with Peggy but they had not yet had a chance to talk about the board’s reaction.

“They balked at the cost but in the end they saw it as an investment in our future. It also didn’t hurt that I got Martha Wentworth to underwrite 80% of it. We are going to have a state of the art facility the caliber of which will be worthy of exhibitions such as Provocations and the Allyn Barnes Retrospective. Once the renovations are completed the CAC will no doubt be one of the most advanced art centers in the country. The architectural design of three distinct wings will provide adequate space to showcase art and culture of every style and medium. We will attract a whole new sector of the art world population regardless of their preference for traditional to modern to contemporary and everything in between. The multi-media interactive art center will be the only one of its kind in this part of the country. Our hope is to brand the CAC as one of the top California tourist attractions.”

“Multi-media interactive art seems to be the wave of the future. Even Jodi Lerner is working in that medium. She’ll probably come knocking at your door. Her new piece is something called Core Values which I understand is a far cry from her usual work. You recall that monstrosity … the 17 Reasons Why?”

“Peggy you know I’m all for different forms of art expression but to be honest all I see when I look at her work are welded pieces of junk metal; the ‘17 Reasons Why’ being the worst of the lot. No matter how diverse the art exhibits at the CAC we will always maintain the highest standards. Good taste will prevail in selecting the pieces we show and the artist that we promote. I would never subject our public to Jodi Lerner or waste valuable space displaying her trash. From my standpoint she has no core values so I can’t imagine what this new exhibit could possibly be representative of. I have no plans to even entertain the idea of showcasing a Jodi Lerner piece. She has no place in my personal or professional life. I hope you’re not going to tell me that you’ve changed your mind about her.”