Okay but we're now well beyond the "initial experience." You can't argue that the contexts of your "personal litmus tests" are irrelevant. Your relationship to Bill Cosby and his art have changed. Your relationship to Louis CK has changed. You can gird your loins and attempt to enjoy their stuff in the context you originally appreciated it in, but that's a conscious effort on your part. Three bands I used to like I can't anymore because they were personally dicks to me. I can appreciate their art - but I can't enjoy it. Artists can't really make big art without patronage; when we're talking about bronzes we're talking about formidable investments in raw material and process. That the artist has taken other commissions doesn't matter. What matters is that the artist took this commission in one spirit and has found the situation grossly misrepresented. It's still not on her website. She's under a virtual gag order. State Street, meanwhile: Examples of such resolutions include requests for boards of directors to publish reports on efforts to bring more diversity to corporate boards, requests for companies to monitor gender pay equity and disclose any gender pay gap, and appeals for boards to include workplace diversity metrics in determining CEO pay. GWILX, which you've never heard of, has $20m under management. PXWEX, which you also haven't? $107m. SHE? $284m. And they've voted against empowering women 60% of the time. How many careers did Louis CK kill? Would one of them have been "one of the most important female voices in comedy today?" Would Tig Notaro have been safe from harassment if she were straight? Yeah it worked out for a few people but we don't know if he was a net good because we don't know what might have been. And in this case, there's no evidence that State Street ever intended to actually do anything for women. Which is important context.Sargis studied the three U.S. funds that have a multiyear record on shareholder proxy votes and which are specifically focused on gender diversity. The study found that Glenmede’s Women’s Leadership Fund GWILX, 0.88% and Pax’s Ellevate Fund PXWEX, 0.47% voted for every gender equity resolution put before them, while State Street voted for just two of the ten resolutions put before it, while abstaining from two more.
But... that doesn't diminish the initial effect the piece had. It may have been made by cynical fucks for cynical fucking reasons, but - like you said - I've never heard of SHE or PXWEX or any of those others. I have heard of Fearless Girl. The artist's message and intent cut through all the BS, and continues to shine. And, despite SHE's best efforts, we still know who actually made Fearless Girl, and who is actually responsible for those feelings we felt when we first saw it. And in this case, there's no evidence that State Street ever intended to actually do anything for women. Which is important context.