The New Museum debate just won’t go away. It spilled over into a panel discussion at FIT this week. Even though the panel was part of Performa 09, the performance art festival taking place in New York right now, the controversy erupted into the conversation, ArtInfo.com reports:

“The museum is doing a fascinating project,” argued the dealer, who, as it happens, also serves as the curator of Joannou’s collection. “It is having one of the most interesting, radical artists of our time do an artistic curation of the best contemporary art collection of our time.” He was responding to panel member and artist Clifford Owens, who accused the New Museum staff of “institutional irresponsibility” in organizing the show, echoing complaints made by many commentators in recent weeks.

Among those most critical of the New Museum has been Village Voice art critic Martha Schwendener, who recently wrote that the New Museum’s decision to show Joannou’s collection was part of its newfound habit of “anointing white, male, European artists in an attempt to build a reciprocally beneficial art history.”

Deitch Defends Dakis Joannou Show at the New Museum (ArtInfo.com)