In response an article in the LA times: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-12-20/alexandra-grant-art-coffee-table-book
I invite @deborahvankin to read the reviews of Alexandra Grant’s book on goodreads.
Ms. Vankin interviewed Alexandra Grant & has written an article for the @latimes_entertainmentThe article reports that grantLOVE has generated more than $300,000 for U.S. & international nonprofits & quotes @roxanegay74 asserting the project may be small, but “it is mighty, with incredible reach, a powerful mission, and a ferocious heart.”The amount donated, be it $1000 or $5,000,000 is impactful, but more importantly, people should be able to trust the words of the person seeking donations & can verify where it’s going. In California, all charity collections are required to be registered & financial reports submitted yearly. grantLOVE has been in operation for 14 years but was only registered in 2021 after receiving a letter from the Attorney General’s office stating that the charity was unlawful until it is properly registered.For many years, Grant claimed that grantLOVE is a nonprofit. This info was written on her CV & given to media outlets in the US & abroad to publish which is tantamount to committing international fraud with $300,000 being collected unlawfully until a year ago.Ms. Grant is aware of the criticisms of her unlawful charity & had to update her CV & made a statement on her website that grantLOVE is not a nonprofit.Why did Alexandra Grant leave out this important part of grantLOVE history? Was it an oversight or was it easier not to follow the law & not be transparent? After lying about grantLOVE being a nonprofit for years, are we supposed to just take her at her word that she has donated $300,000?Will Ms. Vankin be brave enough to do a part 2 by asking the real questions or allow con-artists to continue scamming people through a philanthropy that was illegal for over 12 years?https://grantloveproject-caution.blogspot.com#grantloveproject #grantlove #grantalexandra #AlexandraGrant #cameronbooks #grantlovebook
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I was browsing a bookstore, not looking for anything in particular when I came across the book LOVE: A Visual History of the grantLOVE Project by Alexandra Grant. I stared at it for a few seconds before picking it up. I was aware of the controversy connected to the grantLOVE project. While proclaiming to be a philanthropist doing charity work, Alexandra Grant ran grantLOVE for 12 years without registering it as required by law. In 2021, she received notice from the Attorney General's office informing her that she needs to register her charity.
I was also aware of the controversy that Alexandra Grant lied about her accomplishments on her resume. I shrugged this off at first because I think everybody fudges things a bit on their resume. But when I found out that it stated that grantLOVE Project was a non-profit and it actually wasn't, it changed my opinion. That is not a small lie. There is no excuse for it.
I know that Alexandra Grant says she's been a target of bullying online, but a lot of the "bullying" I saw that she received was because she lied and said that grantLOVE Project was a nonprofit, and people couldn't find any registration for it. They criticized her for lying and called her out on it on social media and wanted to know where all the money was going. I don't think that's unfair and it's certainly understandable.
The book's description mentions the words 'reflect' and 'retrospective', so I don't think it was inconceivable of me to expect that Alexandra Grant would address some of the controversy surrounding grantLOVE project and the concerns of her critics. But I guess Alexandra didn't reflect on any of this or think it was an important part of grantLOVE Project's journey because it wasn't mentioned at all.
I believe the criticism grantLOVE Project received is a valid part of their history. The day that it became a lawful, registered charity should have been noted and highlighted in the book. Maybe she wanted to do good but didn't know the laws and regulations until years later? But if that's the case, she should have admitted it. Admitting errors she made along the way would have provided useful information to those desiring to start a charity project and how they can avoid making the same mistakes. None of that was present. It's been swept under the rug like a dirty secret you don't want anyone to know about.
This book documented the journey of an artist choosing the most recognized word in the world (LOVE) and then plastering it on the work of other artists and selling it for charity without being clear how much was going to charity. Her contribution to the project is minimal, yet she prances around as if she has donated millions of dollar to people in need.
This book is about the journey of a mediocre artist who used the idea of philanthropy and collaborations to gain clout from more talented artists in order to boost her own image. This book is about the journey of a woman who didn't have an original idea so she resorted to scribbling the word love on everything and is trying to convince us this is brilliant. This book purported to “reflect on the confluence of philanthropy and the arts and celebrates building community around the roles of love and empathy in contemporary art and culture” but the unwritten history shows a lack of love and empathy. Where's the empathy for those criticizing her works? Where's the insight that could have come from acknowledging her mistakes and critics head-on with love, compassion and empathy? How can she claim to understand love without understanding truth, honesty and humility? All of these are important components of love and empathy, and she didn't show one shred of that in this book.
I opened this book with the sincere hope that Alexandra Grant would prove her critics wrong and show that she is capable of love and growth. Unfortunately, I think her critics are right.
