To the editor:
I think some people have been very harsh in their criticism of the decisions made by the Berkshire Museum board. I appreciate the connection people may feel to these items, and understand that a work of art is a type of item that makes people feel particularly uncomfortable about deaccessioning, but it seems to me that all nonprofits, including museums, must sometimes make difficult decisions about how to survive and be sustainable.
And, at a certain point, criticism may begin to seem like piling on; or as someone else said, shaming. Social media taunts have become cruel. Isn't it sad when a discussion about art becomes cruel? What starts out as heartwarming — to see such community-minded interest in the local museum — turns into something less honorable.
Judith Monachina,
Stockbridge