I presume you will keep us up to date - Brian Sullivan

bummer - Dobromir Hadzhiev

I talked to two different people since I don't trust people's words. Especially PR folks. I would've talked to all of them, but two didn't pick up their phones. - Mona Nomura

I wonder what's taking them so long to respond - Bjorn Stromberg

They have weekends off? Who knows. The point is, they're working on it :) - Mona Nomura

Mona, I agree w/ the weekends off bit. We're all plugged in so much, we don't realize that there are in fact people who don't touch a bit of tech 2 days out of the week. - FFing Enigma (aka Tina)

I'm just happy they are now aware of the issue and plan to address it. I hope there's a direct statement from the Director of Client Services..... - Mona Nomura

Glad they are aware! I look forward to the response. Photographers must stand united! - Michael

go Mona go ,, remind me never to get on Mona's bad side ,, - johnpiercy

Oh, I just got tired of waiting so I did something... Has nothing to do with my good / bad side! :) - Mona Nomura

I doubt the person in question will make a statement and if he does it was most likely pre-written for him. I'll bet it's going to be along the lines of "We're really sorry this happened and it won't happen again. We're going to make up for this by <insert something here>" - Candace

I fear Candace may be optimistic. My bet is on a "we're reviewing our policies" statement. - Ontario Emperor

@Candice: As much as I would love the statement to be that... I think it will be more along the lines of 'We are right, TH was wrong, All Photography is banned'... I HOPE I am wrong - Johnny Worthington

@John - They could revoke the photography policy or alter it to "point and shoot" rather than "hand held", but if there is no way they will say "we are right..." -- unless there is another side to the story we don't know about. But I'm really doubting that is the case. - Justin Korn

It would depend on three things. #1. How bad the press is surrounding what happened. #2. How the public is reacting and, #3. How widespread it is. Unfortunately, if it's just the internet and internet communities being upset over it then they may not have much to say at all. - Candace

Wow thanks for the update Mona. I was wondering this myself. - Mrsth

I just decided to call and ask since FriendFeed was filled with Gmail talk.. Had to keep myself occupied somehow ;) ...but it's 5:30pm and still nothing. I called again, but no one's picking up lol - Mona Nomura

My money is on an outright apology. "With your arms around your enemy, he can not draw his sword."-Dali Llma - Mrsth

The Dali Llma is a VERY wise man :) - Mona Nomura

I could picture MoMA saying "We are right." Think about it. Perhaps the social media community is very small, but the MoMA community is much smaller. I could picture Blint, his boss, and a few others in a room discussing the issue, and concluding that the negative reaction is just a case of mob mentality, and that Blint was right in defending MoMA employees from whatever Blint was defending them from. The small group could then agree among themselves that Hawk is just a troublemaker (and perhaps even grab stuff off of FriendFeed to "prove" their point), unrestrained photography could ruin the museum experience for the vast majority of visitors, and that it is therefore best to stick to their original decision from Friday. This could very well happen. It depends upon who's making the decision. Remember that Nixon stayed in the White House bunker until he lost nearly everyone, including Goldwater and Ford. - Ontario Emperor

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering. The two individuals I spoke with were extremely nice, polite, helpful, willing to answer questions, and not snooty at all.. but then again, they DO work in PR - Mona Nomura

Justin, I had a pretty long discussion yesterday here with some people (very anti-TH) and they made me realise that while Thomas is in the right, that sexual harassment thing is pretty powerful. Blint may press his claims that TH was shooting down the shirt of a female employee. If that female employee, however mistaken, thought she was being violated then some organisations have a policy of ejection without consulation or right of reply. they may push that rather than addressing the photography issue. - Johnny Worthington

Organizations whether Non-profit or corporations take longer to reply than a loose cannon like Thomas Hawk. They need to keep a tight communication message for a "crisis". I look forward to hearing the other side of this story. Knowing how Thomas Hawk has taken action counter to their policies in the past I have a feeling there is more to the story than what has been revealed to date. - Jim Goldstein

So my sister works at a museum, and I've done hourly work there- and I have to admit, when you're working with the public, there are pervs out there. I think this was a smart precautionary move. Is he guilty? I don't know. But if someone was feeling uncomfortable, is it a huge loss that Thomas Hawk only got a few pictures? Is that the fact that he's Thomas Hawk, a reason to treat him differently from joe-blow-pervy-tourist? - anna sauce

Anna, the problem is that the treatment TH recieved happens to alot of photographers, myself included. This type of treatment, the automatic assumption that you are a perv cause you are a photographer, is soul crushing. When does 'playing it safe' trump innocent until proven guilty. - Johnny Worthington

Who gives a rat's ass if he's Thomas Hawk. He has a photo taken of the incident. I saw no boobies. Not even a hint of boobs. Now he's a "loose cannon"? LOL. This whole thing just gets more amusing by the hour. - Rahsheen ™, Coach of FF

Rasheen, I agree. I saw no boobies as well, and trust me I would have seen them. But that sexual harassement stuff is powerful... I reckon they would take TH sueing them over a female employee sueing them any day (doesn't make it right though). - Johnny Worthington

@Rahsheen Porter I wouldn't say TH is a saint by any means. He's gone to MoMA in the past asking for trouble. On Renegade Photography http://thomashawk.com/2007... "Rather than simply miss Jeff Wall's work due to my dogmatic protest against the SF Moma's anti-photography policy, I decided that I would go, but that I'd shoot anyways... I'm sure this rubs some people the wrong way, that I'd purposely disrespect an institution's right to restrict photography in a private place. But I believe that art should be more open." - Jim Goldstein

Nice follow up, Mona. - Michael W. May from twhirl

Yeah man...WOW. He's a freakin animal. I see why we need to keep his kind in check. How dare he take that camera in places and take photos. Who the hell does he think he is? Sorry for sarcasm, but I just don't see the danger. - Rahsheen ™, Coach of FF

Uhhhh may I interrupt for a second to say, the individuals I spoke with in the SF MOMA's PR Department were ALL kind, helpful, and willing to answer my inquiries in the utmost respectful way. I am extremely eager to hear their side of the story and what / how they plan to rectify this situation. This story interests me, NOT because of the Thomas Hawk 'brand name', per se, but because it could have happened to anyone. Thank you. - Mona Nomura

Jim, while TH's past is intresting, how does it relate to this situation. If it was me, an amature photographer with no histroy, does it make SFMOMA actions any more or less vaild? - Johnny Worthington

As a woman who sits through Thomas Hawks hours of processing & photo viewing on literally, a daily basis, & while he is definitely a self admitted admirer of the female form, shooting down shirts is just not the shot he aims for. - Mrsth

Mona, agreed, SFMOMA rocks. I hope to visit (and hopefully shoot it) next year. - Johnny Worthington

Mrsth, and certainly not with a 14mm lens :) - Johnny Worthington

We are all missing the point...this is not about Thomas Hawk vs Simon Blint or even SFMOMA. This about the way Simon Blint/SFMOMA reacted to the situation. - Justin Korn

@John Worthington I think his past should play a factor. If he has a track record of looking for conflict (which he does) then you should temper your outrage until the other side of the story can be shared. Thomas has the ability to blast away at will, while Simon Blint is restrained by the communication policy of his employer. I don't condone a museum for needlessly throwing out or harassing a photographer, but their side of the story has yet to be told. MoMA isn't on "Internet Time" people forget that. - Jim Goldstein

So, Jim. You consider a photographer breaking rules about where photos are allowed to be taken a man looking for "conflict"? Did he say "I hope they say something cuz I haven't cracked a skull in a while" or did he say "I believe art should be more open"? - Rahsheen ™, Coach of FF

Jim, my outrage is fuelled by being accused of being a pedofille while taking photos of my own 2 year old daughter. My outrage is fuelled by the bruises on my chest from an angry father at my nephews soccer game... My outrage is fuelled by almost being handcuffed for shooting in a public space (Queen Street Mall in Brisbane). I'll keep my outrage at the current level thank you... - Johnny Worthington

And while Blint is restrained by the communication policy, he doesn't seem to be by his own employer's photography one. - Johnny Worthington

Mona - New hat. Ace reporter! - Charlie Anzman

HA! Reporter? I am FAR from one, nor do I care to be. I forget people on here don't know me. If I believe strongly enough in something, I 'do' and aim to resolve. Whether it be for me, a friend, or a complete stranger :) - Mona Nomura

John: I love how you state the 14mm lense as if it's an obvious tip that he wasn't a perv. I bet a lot of the people that comment in these threads don't even know what a 14mm wide angle lense looks like. http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews... Forget TH and the names. If that female employee looked up and saw that pointed towards her from above, it's understandable for her to feel uncomfortable & complain. - Louie

Dig the way you emphasized 'polite'. So many people call companies, etc., and start screaming and don't realize they're immediately alienating the person on the other end. I've been on both sides. The screamers got ZIP. - Charlie Anzman

Louie: The point is not arguing their cases... It's not in mine or anyone else's position, for that matter, to put words in their mouths, IMHO. @Charlie: Well I *AM* Japanese, it is in our nature to be bery bery porite <--said EngRish.. HA.. NOT. Anyway, thank you for noticing :) - Mona Nomura

Mona: The point is what? I've seen people ejected from businesses because of harassment. You get a short explanation and the door/security. This situation seems like the same, even if TH wasn't doing what he was accused of. Is it wrong to try and think of different sides of the situation? From TH's own blog post, it is very apparent why he was asked to leave. Employers have and obligation to provide a safe work environment and many have a ZERO tollerance policy for harassment of their employees. - Louie

Louie: It's a little too early to throw heavy weighted words as 'harassment' around until we hear the other side of the story. Like I stated on my blog, my issue with this situation is: 1. SF MOMA allows photography. 2. Despite its policies, SF MOMA’s Director of Visitor Relations, Simon Blint, personally threw out Thomas Hawk (a patron). 3. Thomas Hawk wants an explanation as to why this occurred, as do I. - Mona Nomura

To quote TH: "Blint told me that "he did not care" and that he needed to "protect" his employees -- employees that might appear in my photographs... He accused me of using a "telephoto" lens to spy on his staff from the public staircase on the second floor." - Louie

Even if the woman was mistaken about TH's intentions, the employer is obligated to take her complaint very seriously. Sure, he could have taken his time to sit and conversate with TH about it all. It would be the most polite thing to do. But many people want to just nip the situation in the bud as soon as possible, to alleviate the situation. This is especially true after California's mandated sexual harassment training for all Management positions. His job/finances/reputation are at stake. - Louie

Louie: You are entitled to your opinion, as I am mine. As I stated before, it is not in my position to assume anything until I hear both sides of the story. - Mona Nomura

Hmm...maybe we need to hear a third side of the story. She can comment anonymously if she wishes, but if Hawk is being accused of something, perhaps she can clarify what she (reportedly) accused him of doing. - Ontario Emperor from fftogo

So here's another question- b/c TH thinks art should be free, he can take photos of it and distribute at will- the artist has no say. What about subjects? Do they have any say? - anna sauce

Cheers for the update, Mona. How very journalistic, following up on a blog shit storm, rather than just repeating the original story in the first place. Nice work. - Chris Nixon

@Mona, any update on a response from the SF MOMA on this incident? Now that we are all done jerking our knees, (myself included) in response to Thomas's post, it would sure be nice to hear the other side of the story. Unfortunately I fear that it will be heavily filtered by lawyers and not say much, especially in the area of accepting or pointing blame. - Jeff P. Henderson