WOULD like to clarify several inaccuracies and misconceptions that have appeared in recent letters written to the concerning comments made by visiting art lecturer Gregory Volk in an interview with the .

The claim that the Bermuda National Gallery invited this highly respected art critic and curator to Bermuda to act as some sort of "hatchet man" on Bermudian culture or, as one of your correspondents put it, "an after-the-fact advocate for (the Gallery's) leadership" could not be further from the truth.

Mr. Volk was invited to Bermuda several months ago to deliver a talk as part of the PartnerRe Art Lecture Series. On the evening of Thursday, May 13, he duly gave a fascinating and thought-provoking lecture entitled in which he discussed the work of several innovative contemporary artists, including Karin Sander, Roxy Paine and Fred Tomaselli.

The fact that Mr. Volk, an acknowledged expert on contemporary art, delivered his lecture during the Bacardi Limited Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Bermuda Art was purely coincidental but we took the opportunity to introduce him to as many local artists and galleries as time permitted during his short visit, and invited him to take part in a lunch-time discussion panel on the Bermuda arts scene with BNG curator David Mitchell and Peter Lapsley, director of the Bermuda Society of Arts. Having attended Mr. Volk's lectures, the took the initiative to interview Mr. Volk in which he shared his personal views about what he had seen during his visit.

The debate about what is or isn't "art" is a continuous and evolving one and the value of bringing someone like Mr. Volk to our community is to stimulate thought and discussion. By offering a different perspective, Mr. Volk has certainly provided an interesting counterpoint to local reviewers. Those Biennial artists who took the opportunity to meet Mr. Volk in person certainly welcomed and valued his professional and constructive individual critiques of their work.

For the record, Gregory Volk is a regular contributor to magazine, has written numerous catalogue texts and essays for leading galleries and has also curated numerous exhibitions in the United States, Germany, and Korea. He is a visiting professor at New York University, Rhode Island School of Design, and the University at Albany-State University of New York, and a member of the board of directors of the International Association of Art Critics, United States section.

Over the past two years, the generous sponsorship of PartnerRe has enabled the BNG to bring to Bermuda many prominent international academics to share their insight, experience and wider worldview of art with local audiences. Our next lecture, on July 8, will feature William Boyle, the man behind the success of Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, talking on "Culture As A Catalyst for Revitalisation".

PartnerRe has a long history of sponsoring many cultural and sporting events without which this island would be much the poorer. PartnerRe does not need to sponsor our lecture series and so we at the BNG, along with many art lovers and students, are grateful for their willingness and foresight in supporting such events. To accuse PartnerRe and other such companies of having "a detrimental effect on Bermudian society and culture" is uninformed, inaccurate and insulting.

I would also like to dispel the accusation made by the letter writer Jerks & Quirks that artists submitting to the Biennial are somehow "bullied" or "goaded" by the BNG into producing art of a particular style or genre. The Biennial is, by its very nature, as a juried contemporary show, a subjective exercise.

For a variety of reasons, not every local artist chooses to submit an entry. Submitting to a jury process can be unnerving for the most experienced artist ? yet for this year's show a record 96 artists submitted 413 pieces that were rich in creativity, quality and diversity. Our international jurors, Kendal Henry and Bruce Katsiff, viewed every single piece.

The 82 selected pieces include oils, watercolours, sculptures, video installations, drawings photographs, photograms, and collages; they include portraits, landscapes and abstracts. Together they represent a bold and exciting statement of what Bermuda's artists are producing today. We do not expect everyone to like everything in the Biennial: that is not the point.

Our Biennial, like those in other countries, seeks to challenge and inspire artists and viewers alike and we urge the public to come and see for themselves what the fuss is all about ? admission is free! And make a point too, of visiting the B Side show at Kafu Gallery and take a look at the works that didn't quite make the final cut.

To fulfil its mission to "promote, benefit and advance the visual arts in Bermuda the BNG endeavours to be as inclusive as possible, by collecting and displaying works of historical importance, showing diverse pieces by local and international artists, exposing local audiences to work from other cultures such as Africa, the Azores and Japan.

Our fall exhibition will explore the changing tradition of Bermudian landscape painting. In addition, our ArtReach Education Programme reaches thousands of schoolchildren and their families every year and our varied programme of evening and lunch-time lectures, many of them free, is designed to inform, entertain and stimulate.

Later this month members of the public can share their views on the Biennial in person with juror Kendal Henry, who will be returning to Bermuda to host a Public Art Week of lectures, seminars and workshops from June 21-25, an educational event again made possible by the generous sponsorship of PartnerRe.

I hope that your correspondents will take the opportunity to engage Mr. Henry in person instead of conducting their attacks from behind the safety of pen names.

I WAS surprised to read the Random Notes of Nicolette Reiss (Mid-Ocean News, May 28). Regarding her Random Observation No. 1, I have written so much already in the local newspapers about the US policy in the Middle East regarding Israel, Palestine and the catastrophic pre-emptive strike (called war) against Iraq that I hesitate to bore your readers further.

But I cannot allow any supporter of this illegal, immoral travesty to go unchallenged.

That there were two protesters at the Bermuda International Airport to express their disgust at British Prime Minister Tony Blair is no reflection on the feelings of the overwhelming majority of not only Bermudians but of the world at large.

This bloody disaster was opposed by the largest demonstrations the world has ever seen. To suggest that the war is, or was ever, over is utter nonsense. This so called war is unwinnable by the US and their allies and will be added to Vietnam and Korea as another tragic mistake.

For Miss Reiss to suggest that the West must not be seen as having no stomach for bloodshed needs clarification. The West has no stomach for its own bloodshed. Between 11,000 and 15,000 innocent Iraqi civilians, i.e., men, women and children, have died horrible deaths since attacked by the US and its allies, and I have not seen this deplored in the US media.

Regarding the ugly photos, bear in mind that you may not have seen the worst of these and many prisoners have died as a result of treatment or torture by their captives.

One is either moral or immoral. It is no more possible to be a little bit moral than a little bit pregnant. You say your inquiring mind would like to know what information these prisoners had. My inquiring mind would like to know what information the 12,000 Palestinians, all young men imprisoned by the Israelis without charges, tortured and sometimes killed, had while the US fully supports the right of the Israelis to do so.

I have not heard you, Ms Reiss, object. My advice to you Ms Reiss is to update your information on the real reason for the so-called war on Iraq.

If you experience difficulty, let me know but for handy referral check the article in May issue, on this subject and look out for Michael Moore's latest film that just won the Golden Palm in Cannes which will be another blockbuster.

If you are still not convinced I have the collection of material for three-plus years, I have collected to further assist you.