No one on either side actually seemed to care about the art. The attitude that if it brings in lots of people, it s OK, is a danger. I don't think you can underestimate the danger of the Mayor's actions. He took away the lights from one of the major displays. This museum is a gateway to culture.
Local people use it to see the rest of the world.
Some Catholics have concerns about the way the Virgin Mary was characterized, but the Catholic hierarchy of Brooklyn certainly understands the importance of the museum and their response could have been more nuanced. Most people were quite opposed to Guliani's actions. These battles function a bit like school busing and more recently abortion. They are flash points and politicians get very worried about them. Actually, the public has a very nuanced perspective which is not reflected by their elected representatives.