- action | issues
- Academic Freedom
- Books
- Classrooms
- Copyright
- Film
- Government Secrecy
- Hate Speech
- Internet
- LGBT
- Libraries
- Music
- Nudity & Pornography
- Political Correctness
- Political Dissent
- Public Spaces
- Race Ethnicity Gender
- Radio & Television
- Religion
- Science
- Sex Education
- Theater & Performance
- Video Games
- Violence
- Visual Art
- Youth
- advocacy | projects
- education | resources
in support of free expression
The information presented here by the National
Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) may be freely redistributed in its entirety,
provided that readers are informed that the information was obtained from
NCAC's World Wide Web site and that credit is given to the appropriate source
of whatever information is used. Permission is expressly granted for the information
obtained to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. Information found here
may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without
the written permission from the National Coalition Against Censorship.
©Copyright 2005 NCAC
WEB DESIGN
Jeanne Criscola Criscola Design
free speech first amendment censorship
Political Piece Returned to Installation
In March 2005, Lakewood, CO City Manager Mike Rock ordered
the removal of an art exhibit from the city's Cultural
Center after three City Council members called it "anti-American
and anti-military." The ceramic installation "Hope Stones"
by artist and Air Force veteran Gayla Lemke included
quotes from several notable historic and public figures.
Council members Tom Booher, Jackie Herbst and Ray Elliott
found the piece offensive because of a Bill Maher quote
stating "A real coward is someone who drops a bomb from
a protected space several thousand feet up." The quote
singled out by the council members was just one of many
within the larger context of the work. Other quotes
included "There was never a good war or a bad peace,"
"Love is a verb, not a noun," "War would end if the
dead could return." Eventually public officials were
content to remove only the "offending" part of the work.
After protests from the National Coalition Against Censorship and the ACLU, both quoting the First Amendment, the City agreed to restore the piece to the exhibition and issue a letter of apology to the artist.
Action Alerts
