Description of Incident: Jef Bourgeau mounted an exhibition in a Pontiac gallery in March, 2000 with an arrangement of reproductions of paintings and photographs of nudes, a limited version of his “Art Until Now” exhibit that was canceled at the Detroit Institute of Arts in November, 1999. Of the Pontiac exhibition, Bourgeau stated: “ I was approached by the owner of the Oakland Arts Center; he said that he would like to put together a panel discussion on censorship. He asked me to curate a complementary exhibition in a recently vacated gallery space in the building. The panel itself would occur in a small hall upstairs. The collage was mounted on a wall at right angels to the street […]. The police took Polaroids in extreme close-up of those works they find the most ‘obscene’ and charged and cite me with presenting ‘obscene materials’”.

Results of Incident: City officials in Pontiac, Michigan pressed obscenity charges against Detroit artist Jef Bourgeau for his exhibition.