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in support of free expression
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Letter to the Editor: Nude Public Sculpture in Loveland, CO
Loveland, CO
July 5, 2006
Legislating Cultural Expression Would Pose Constitutional Problems
Sculptures of nudes, which grace public buildings and city squares around
the world, mean different things to different people: to some they signify
the beauty and dignity of the human body, the visible externalization of
spirit, to others they remind of the sins of the flesh. The latter
persistently try to remove any representation of nudes from public view
claiming there are offended or that (against all evidence) children would be
harmed by seeing a nude. Those debates have reached the U.S. Supreme Court
repeatedly and the Court has always ruled that simple representations of
nudity are a constitutionally protected form of artistic expression.
The Loveland City Council is on the wrong track in trying to change the
rules so as to be able to overrule the decisions of the Visual Arts
Commission and remove “Triangle” from its intended position. Our
Constitution bars government officials from pandering to the most vocal
groups and imposing their taste and moral beliefs on the general public.
It is not elected officials, but arts professionals who have the expertise
to determine artistic merit and cultural relevance.
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