Artist: Julie Alvarez, author
Confronting Bodies: The Port Washington Board of Education
Date of Action: Fall 2000
Specific Location: Paul D. Schreiber High School, Board of Education meeting, Port Washington, NY
Description of Artwork: The highly acclaimed novel is a story of three sisters active in the underground resistance movement opposing the oppressive dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.
Description of Incident: The Board of Education voted that the book should not be a part of the 10th grade curriculum due to a crude illustration of a hand-made bomb.
Results of Incident: Numerous teachers, parents, and students were disappointed and angered by the board's decision. Students felt that their intelligence and maturity was being undermined, and others believed that it was the place of educators to make such decisions. Critics of the board's vote expressed concern over the implications of removing the book and feared the precedent it set for judging books in the future. The board maintained its belief that this was a matter of security and it was not the same thing as banning the book. The disapproval of the book came just months after the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado.
Source: NCAC, Port Washington News, October 13, 2000.
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Name: Kentucky State Yearbooks, Kincaid v. Gibson
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Date: 1985 - 1995
Location: North America
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Print Journalism
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Artist: Kentucky State University student yearbook staff
Confronting Bodies: Kentucky State University officials
Date of Action: 1994
Specific Location: Kentucky State University
Description of Artwork: Annual yearbook called The Thorobred.
Description of Incident: After the 1992-94 edition of The Thorobred was published, KSU's administration reviewed the yearbook and decided that it was dissatisfied with its presentation and some of its content. In particular, the colors on the cover were not the schools colors, and the yearbook included current events, which the administration did not deem acceptable. As a result, KSU withheld distribution of the yearbook.
Results of Incident: Charles Kincaid and Capri Coffer, on behalf of all students and staff who felt wronged, filed suit against KSU officials for their decision regarding the yearbook. The plaintiffs contended that the defendants refused to distribute the yearbook because they did not like some of its content. They claimed that this action violated their First Amendment rights.
Referencing Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1998), the District Court rejected the First Amendment claim. It established that the yearbook was not a public forum and the defendants' refusal to distribute it was a reasonable restriction of speech.
The plaintiffs appealed the decision. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit heard the case on Jan. 5, 2001. By a 10-3 vote, the court reversed the lower court decision that had upheld the confiscation of the student yearbook. In a landmark decision, the court rejected the application of Hazelwood to college student media. In March 2001, the students agreed to a settle their case against the university in exchange for $5,000 each and $60,000 in attorney's fees and costs, as well as the release of the captive yearbooks to 90% of the eligible students who were to receive the yearbook in 1994.
Source: United States District Court Eastern District of Kentucky Frankfort Records, Student Press Law Center, March 2001, NCAC
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Name: Laura Ferguson Crouching Figure with Visible Skeleton and others
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Painting
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Artist: Laura Ferguson
Confronting Bodies: The U.S. Senate Rules Committee
Date of Action: April 2001
Specific Location: *"eMotion Pictures: An Exhibition of Orthopaedics in Art" Exhibition, Rotunda of Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Description of Artwork: Ferguson's paintings depict nude female bodies with their skeletal systems showing through. The artist's work is an attempt to deal with her own disability: scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. Ferguson draws her own body's skeletal system (based on X rays, MRIs and 3D scans) on paper previously treated with oil paints and bronze powders. None of the censored paintings contained full frontal nudity.
Description of Incident: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons organized a large-scale traveling exhibition, which included works by artists with orthopaedic conditions. A selection of works was to be displayed in the rotunda of the Senate Office Building in D.C. A number of Ferguson's paintings, which had also been featured on the exhibition's publicity materials, were among those selected. The Senate Rules Committee rejected Ferguson's art claiming, initially and officially, that there wasn't enough space. Eventually, Tamara Somerville, staff director for Senate Rules Committee Chairman Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) admitted that Ferguson's paintings were censored because they featured nudity.
Results of Incident: The AAOS removed the exhibit from the Senate in its entirety and found an alternative venue for it: Southwest Washington's Millennium Arts Center.
Source: NCAC. Additional information: Washington Post, Laura Ferguson Web Site (http://www.etaoin.com/fer0.htm)
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Name: Lynn Zachreson, censored artist
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Explicit Sexuality
,Nudity
Medium: Painting
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Artist: Lynn Zachreson
Confronting Bodies: Raymond Evans, in charge of exhibitions at the Louden Nelson Community Center
Date of Action: November 17, 1999
Specific Location: Louden Nelson Community Center, Santa Cruz, California
Description of Artwork: Paintings of nude figures. The nine controversial works were all water colors of women. Eight of the paintings are works from two models: a 78-year-old woman and another a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy. In the ninth painting, a third woman strikes a pose looking over her shoulder with her back to the viewer. There was no objection to a painting of a naked man, genitalia in full view.
Description of Incident: The artist installed the exhibition of her work and the work of two of her students in the community center's hallway gallery. Two days later, the director in charge of the show, Raymond Evans, demanded that the nine paintings be taken down because they were too "suggestive."
Results of Incident: Zachreson seized the opportunity to spoof censorship and promote discussion by covering the breasts and pubic areas of the watercolor representations of women with Islamic Purdah fashioned from rice paper. Another figure was covered in paper doll clothes. The paintings were exhibited in their original state at the University of California at Santa Cruz in January 2000.
Source: NCAC, MetroActive News and Issues-- From the January 5-12, 2000 issue of Metro Santa Cruz
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Name: Mary Beth Edelson, Some Living American Women Artists/Last Supper
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Religious
,Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Mixed Media
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Artist: Mary Beth Edelson
Confronting Bodies: Eight faculty members at Franklin and Marshal College, including a Russian Orthodox Priest
Date of Action: October 1995
Specific Location: The Women's Center, Franklin and Marshal College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Description of Artwork: The 1972 poster is a reproduction of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper with superimposed photographs of the heads of modern women's artists over those of Christ and his disciples. A border of more women artists frames the image. Georgia O'Keefe's head takes the place of Jesus.
Description of Incident: A copy of the poster was donated to the Women's Center upon its opening in 1992, and the center placed it on permanent display. As a result, eight faculty members complained that it was an affront to Christian sensitivities. They called for the censure of the Women's Center and its Executive Board, who declined to remove the image.
Results of Incident: As in 1972, the piece attracted media attention and sparked debate between religious communities and feminists.
+++Mary Beth Edelson (formerly Mary Beth Snyder) first encountered censorship in 1955 as a student at Indiana's DePauw University. Two of her works were removed from an exhibit on display in their Union Building. They were eliminated by suggestion of some faculty members who complained that they were "degrading, not pretty, and would discourage other students from entering the Art Department." Her pieces were replaced by two of her other works, and later exhibited in a senior exhibit in the Art Building.
Source: NCAC, In a Pig's Eye: The Offence of Some Living American Women Artists, Linda S. Aleci, DePauw University newspaper
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Name: Michael Savage, Siren-WY art show
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Painting
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Artist: Michael Savage
Confronting Bodies: Art show committee
Date of Action: July 1998
Specific Location: National Art Show, Dubois, Wyoming
Description of Artwork: Painting on metal featuring topless mermaids.
Description of Incident: Savage's painting, Siren, was excluded from the National Art Show in Dubois for featuring frontal nudity. The committee, who has final say in what pieces are acceptable for the show, commented that the town is just not ready for such art.
Results of Incident: Savage picketed the nine days of the show and displayed his painting for passerby who asked to see it. He took a poll to see how many people disapproved of his work. By his count, 182 of the 185 people who saw the painting found it acceptable. Savages painting was published in the Dubois Frontier.
Source: NCAC, National Campaign for Freedom of Expression
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Name: Milo Gralnick, Slaughterhouse Fairytales
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Other
Medium: Sculpture
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Artist: Milo Gralnick, a graduate student at University of Missouri-Columbia
Confronting Bodies: The Art Department at University of Missouri-Columbia
Date of Action: March 2001
Specific Location: Sculpture class, University of Missouri-Columbia
Description of Artwork: Gralnick's project included a slaughtered cow's head, an audiotape playing "Old MacDonald," a napkin that read "McMurder," and McDonald's bibs to distribute to the class. The assignment was to create a sculpture using anything to express a point of view or belief.
Description of Incident: After presenting his project to the class, Gralnick left the building to get supplies to clean up the blood and to bring back a Big Mac. When he returned, he was required to cover the head, remove it, and meet with the faculty. At the meeting Gralnick was asked to sign a paper saying he understood he would be removed from the class if he compromised a "positive classroom learning environment" again.
Results of Incident: The Art Department claimed that their complaint against Gralnick was one of housekeeping, and not of censoring the content of his piece. They were unhappy that he left the room with out cleaning up the blood. Some suggested it was a health concern, but a practicing doctor confirmed that the head was no less sanitary than any raw meat-which he had permission to use. Despite the claims of the Art Department, Gralnick felt that being made to cover his project was an act of censorship.
Source: NCAC, themaneater.com, 3.16.01, and 4.3.01.
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Name: My Museum, Selene Colbrun
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Explicit Sexuality
Medium: Mixed Media
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Artist: Selene Colbrun
Confronting Bodies: Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts
Date of Action: July 1998
Specific Location: Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington City Arts, Burlington, Vermont
Description of Artwork: A collaboration between Colbrun and artist Dale Witting, depicting a nude male with an erect penis. The figure, which Witting derived from an image in a Mexican magazine, is tattooed with design supplied by Colbrun.
*The day before the show was scheduled to open, curator Pascal Spengemann found the piece in violation of a Burlington policy that forbids the display of art containing nudity "with strong sexual content" in all public display spaces. Colbrun was not aware of this policy. The gallery declined to compromise by placing the piece in a separate room or putting up a disclaimer.
Description of Incident:
Results of Incident: Rather than pulling the one controversial piece, Colbrun decided to cancel the entire show out of respect for all artists and artistic expression. This piece and 5 other collaborative works were exhibited at a gallery down the street, but her other forty pieces from the Firehouse show went unseen. The City Arts Director considered changing the policy. (contact Burlington cityarts.com for update
Source: National Campaign for Freedom of Expression, NCAC
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Name: People's Portrait Project, Cop Killer photo
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Photography
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Artist: Marian Azbill
Confronting Bodies: Mendocino County Sheriff, James Tuso
Date of Action: November 26, 1996
Specific Location: Mendocino County Administration Center, Ukiah, California
Description of Artwork: A four-photo panel that included a picture of a building with graffiti reading "cop killer."
Description of Incident: The photo panel was removed from the exhibit at the request of the county sheriff who believed the picture to be "inappropriate" and offensive in view of the 1994 slaying of the sheriff's deputy.
Results of Incident: The incident sparked protest from arts organizations, civil liberties groups, and from the community. Consequently, the panel was reinstalled a week after it had been removed by order of the Board of supervisors chair Liz Henry.
Source: National Campaign for Freedom of Expression, NCAC
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Name: Susan Narduli, Men in Flight
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Photography
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Artist: Susan Narduli
Confronting Bodies: Los Angeles World Airports
Date of Action: July 2001
Specific Location: American Airlines Terminal, Los Angeles International Airport, California
Description of Artwork: Photographic images sandblasted into black granite circles on the airport floor. These images depict nude men who appear to be in flight.
Description of Incident: Hours after the artwork was unveiled, it was again covered due to complaints about the male images. Though the Cultural Affairs Commission approved the artwork in 1999, they were called upon by the Los Angeles World Airports company to reassess the work.
Results of Incident: The Cultural Affairs Commission reviewed Narduli's piece and maintained their decision of approval.
Source: NCAC, latimes.com 7.23.01, Chicago Tribune 8.2.01
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Name: The Story of Colors / La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Storybook from the Jungles of Chiapas
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Other
Medium: Literature
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Artist: Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, author/ Cinco Puntos Press
Confronting Bodies: William J. Ivey, Chief of the National Endowment for the Arts
Date of Action: March 9,1999
Specific Location: National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C.
Description of Artwork: The Story of Colors is a Mexican folk tale for children. It is based on a Mayan creation myth that addresses diversity and tolerance.
Description of Incident: The Lannan Foundation-the same organization that stepped forward to fund the Mapplethorpe exhibition after it too had lost funding-promptly offered to reimburse Cinco Puntos Press for the money lost and continued to doubled it. The story made the major papers across the nation, and it also became big news in Mexico. Additionally, freedom of expression groups collaborated on a letter urging Ivey to reconsider his decision.
Results of Incident:
Source: Cinco Puntos Press 1999, NCAC
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Name: The Tin Drum
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Explicit Sexuality
Medium: Film Video
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Artist: Film directed by Volker Schlondorff, based on the novel by Gunter Grass
Confronting Bodies: "Oklahomans for Children and Families," and district judge Richard Freeman
Date of Action: June 25, 1997
Specific Location: Six video stores, at least one private home, and a library in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Description of Artwork: The 1979 widely acclaimed film is about a young boy who, during the rise and fall of Nazism in Danzig, Germany, refuses to grow and assume adult responsibility. The scene in controversy depicts the boy briefly performing oral sex on a teenage girl.
Description of Incident: Oklahomans for Children and Families (OCAF), an "antipornography" group that claimed over 13,000 members, brought the film to the attention of the prosecutor. Judge Freeman reviewed the controversial scene and declared that the film was obscene under Oklahoma law. Police then removed the film from at least one private home, six video stores and took possession of the film that had been borrowed from a library.
Results of Incident: Several lawsuits ensued. The Video Software Dealers Association filed suit, claiming that the seizures violated First Amendment rights, Fourth Amendment rights prohibiting unlawful search and seizure, and the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, which limits the circumstances under which video retailers may be forced to divulge who has rented a film. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma filed a similar suit on behalf of the individual from whose home the video was taken. The district attorney's office filed suit in state court against Blockbuster and Hollywood video stores and the Metropolitan Library System. The suit asked the court to determine whether The Tin Drum is obscene and, if so, to enjoin the defendants from further distribution or rental. Ultimately, U.S. District Judge Ralph Thompson overturned Freeman's ruling, saying the film is a work of art protected under state and federal law. He ruled that Oklahoma City police unconstitutionally confiscated the film copies and that the videos must be returned to their rightful owners.
The other law suits? Can't find the verdicts
Source: NCAC, NCFE
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Name: Today's Special, a civil rights history installation
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Racial/Ethnic
Medium: Photography
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Artist: Bill Thomas, Photographer
Confronting Bodies: Tom Hogan, President of Foley's Department Store
Date of Action: Spring 2000
Specific Location: Foley's Department Store, Houston, TX
Description of Artwork: The installation Today's Special commemorated the 1960 sit-in protests that resulted in the integration of Houston's downtown lunch-counters. The provocative photograph, titled Racial Tensions, featured black and white figures balanced on opposite ends of a see-saw, with nooses around their necks and hands tied behind their backs. The point of the piece according to Thomas was that, "balance must be maintained for them to survive, and any attempt by one to harm the other will result in mutual destruction."
Description of Incident: The exhibit had been on display for five days when it was removed by president Tom Hogan in response to "a few complaints by African-American employees who were offended by the noose imagery. Where most people saw it as a very strong positive message, we believed it was important to be sensitive to those who did not," said Hogan.
Results of Incident: In response to Hogan's opinion, Thomas observed, "I'm beginning to think that the notion is growing that the right of objections transcends the right of expression." The exhibit was removed from the windows of Foley's store. Its sponsorship of the show was entirely voluntary and it had no legal obligation to display any of the artwork. The show was later exhibited at the Vine Street Galleries in Houston.
Source: NCAC
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Name: Understanding Sexual Identity
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Date: 1995 - 2005
Location: North America
Subject: Sexual/Gender Orientation
Medium: Literature
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Artist: Janice Rench, author
Confronting Bodies: Parents and area ministers
Date of Action: May 1997
Specific Location: Brownsville High School library, Pennsylvania
Description of Artwork: This 56-page book is geared toward gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents. Understanding Sexual Identity addresses issues such as AIDS and alcohol abuse. It also discusses gays throughout history, religious and emotional questions that arise with respect to homosexuality and how to use condoms.
Description of Incident: A parent complained to school officials about the book when her son brought it home from school. After the parent complained, other parents and area ministers met to discuss the book and later the group approached school officials asking that the book not be accessible to students. The book was removed while a committee, comprising of three teachers and a parent, was reviewing the issue.
Results of Incident: Parents, educators, and representatives of the ACLU all vocalized their opinions. Ultimately the committee decided to keep the book in circulation. However, parents may still notify the librarian if they do not wish for their child read the book.
Source: Attacks on the Freedom to Learn, November 1997, NCAC
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Name: Aldous Huxley's Novels
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Date: 1900 - 1925
,1926 - 1950
Location: Europe
,North America
Subject: Explicit Sexuality
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,Religious
Medium: Literature
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Artist: Huxley, Aldous (1894-1963)
Confronting Bodies: Boston State, Irish State, National Organization of Decent Literature
Date of Action:
Specific Location: U.S.A., Ireland
Description of Artwork: "Antic Hay", 1923
"Point Counter Point", 1928
"Brave New World", 1932
"Eyeless in Gaza", 1936
Description of Incident: 1930 United States-Boston, Mass.: "Antic Hay" banned on grounds of obscenity.
1930 Ireland: "Point Counter Point" banned on the ground of "offending public morals."
1936 Ireland: "Eyeless in Gaza" banned.
Results of Incident: 1953 United States: "Antic Hay" was placed on the list of publications disapproved by the National Organization of Decent Literature.
1953 Ireland: "Eyeless in Gaza" unbanned by Appeal Board. "Point Counter Point" and other books still banned.
Source: Banned Books 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D., by Anne Lyon Haight, and Chandler B. Grannis, R.R. Bowker Co, 1978.
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