NEW YORK— "Re-Accession: For Sale by Owner," through September 2 at the Flag Art Foundation, focuses on artists who lack representation. Jennifer Dalton, the creator of a featured work, Are Times of Recession Good For Art?, however, is represented by Winkleman Gallery. Her 2008 piece — composed of a pair of gum-ball machines filled with chocolates, available for 25 cents apiece and color-coded to indicate an answer to the title’s question — was instead included for its relevance. Sarah Douglas tracked the choices of guests at the June 23rd opening. A sampling of the votes follow.

Are Times of Recession Good for Art?

Yes
Xavier Auza, dancer and director of the Avant Dance Project, bought not one "yes" candy but two. "The recession makes people more creative," he quipped.

Writer and curator Adrian Dannatt explained his vote by noting, "You can get artworks for half off!"

Dalton, asked for her response to the query, said with some reservations that she would go with yes. "It’s bad for artists, but it could be good for art with a capital A."

Maybe
The artist Paul Pagk, whose paintings were in "Re-Accession," preferred to withhold his judgment. "We have to wait a few more years to see how all of this works out," he advised.

No
Scott Zieher, co-owner of the Chelsea gallery Zieher Smith, which just moved from 25th Street to a new 3,500-square-foot space at 516 West 20th Street that opens this month, cast a resounding no. "We’ve done very well making a living for great artists, and it’s harder for them now," he grumbled.

Whitney Museum trustee Joanne Casullo didn’t participate but stated, "I would have voted no. Artists have to survive!"

"In the Air: Pick a Side" originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's September 2009 Table of Contents.