Does “Lives Matter” Art Matter? Florida Association Has No Place for Political Art
After two visitors complained about a painting, a small gallery space in Vero Beach told an artist to remove the piece.
Is a Phallus a Firing Offense?
Did a dispute over phallus props in a theater production cost an adjunct professor his job?
Is This Student Painting Inappropriate for Children?
NCAC urges a Florida high school to reconsider its decision that a student painting was too explicit to display.
BART Blocks Art: Was Anti-Gentrification Message To Blame?
The decision by San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to deny a permit to display Bay Area artist Victor De La Rosa's posters about community concerns over gentrification raises serious First Amendment concerns.
Victory: A Year On, University of Kentucky Uncovers Controversial Mural Depicting Slaves
After students voiced their objections, the University of Kentucky has covered a historical mural. The school should seize the opportunity to have serious dialogue.
Removing Peltier Art From Government Building Raises First Amendment Concerns
The removal of artworks by incarcerated Native American activist Leonard Peltier from a Washington state government building raises serious First Amendment concerns.
Policing Art: Peltier Paintings Removed After Complaints
Former FBI officials successfully remove paintings by Leonard Peltier from a government building in Washington state.
Protesting Art: The More the Merrier
It seems like more people are showing up to protest at museums and arts institutions. Is that such a bad thing?
“Shame is the Evil That Makes Everybody Sick”
Legendary artists Betty Tompkins and Marilyn Minter got together to talk about censorship, women in the arts and much more.
Local Govt Official Removes “Obscene” Artwork — But It’s Back Up
A California government official removed an artwork from a public building because he determined that it was "obscene." The First Amendment exists to prevent this kind of thing, and the piece is back up.
Facebook’s Nudity Rules Still Make No Sense
Artists continue to struggle with Facebook's inconsistent policies on human nudity.
Summertime for… Censorship?
Students at summer art school programs run into some unique censorship problems.
“Preacher Pimp” Protested in Georgia–But Museum Holds Firm
An artwork draws protest from local clergy in Georgia. But the museum where it is displayed is standing firm.
Kimonos and Controversy: What the Boston MFA Got Wrong
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts should have answered the Kimono Wednesdays controversy by seizing on the protests as a chance to ask deeper questions and engage the community.
Boston Museum Responds on Kimono Protests
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts responds to NCAC's letter regarding protests over "Kimono Wednesdays."
Kimono Wednesdays: Was Interactive Art Really ‘Yellowface’ Orientalism?
An exhibit that included a kimono that could be worn by museum visitors drew strong protests, and caused the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to alter its program.
Iowa Town: No Nudes on Main Street
City officials want an art gallery to cover a nude painting-- but they can't find a legal justification.
Managing Controversy: Vanessa Place, Race and Gone With the Wind
In response to a controversy over a conceptual poet's 'Gone With the Wind' project, several cultural institutions have canceled her appearances-- demonstrating the wrong way to deal with such disputes.
Policing Art
Student artists are tackling police brutality-- and police groups aren't happy about it. Unfortunately, some schools are reacting by removing the work.
Art Censorship in Response to Speculative Threats
Citing a possible violent reaction as a pretext for censoring art is not only wrong, it most certainly leads those who object to free expression to make more threats.
Policing Expression: NJ School Removes Student Project
A student project on police and community relations angers local cops-- and school administrators respond by removing it.
#Donttakeitdown: Students Speak Out Over Removal of Police Brutality Artwork
After receiving complaints, a Maryland high school removes police brutality artwork. But the students at Oxon Hill aren't submitting to censorship-- they are fighting back.
NCAC Urges the Association of Writers and Writing Programs to Stand by Freedom of Expression
Protesters demand that a controversial poet be removed from a committee at an academic conference. And the writers' group organizing the conference promptly complies.
Another Salvo in San Bernardino’s War on Nudes
A California library briefly removes a nude painting it deemed "inappropriate."
Police Groups React to ‘Don’t Shoot’ Library Art
Provocative art about police brutality in a Madison, Wisconsin library is causing controversy.
International Coalition Appeals to Cuba: Drop Charges Against Performance Artist
A group of international artistic freedom groups send a letter to the Cuban government requesting that authorities drop all charges against free speech performance artist Tania Bruguera.
UN Special Rapporteur: Freedom of expression & Copyright
At the 28th Session of the Human Rights Council in March 2015, Ms. Farida Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, presented her report on copyright laws and policies and their effect on artistic freedom. The report emphasizes the need to balance intellectual property rights with the need to empower creativity. It supports copyright exceptions and limitations that enable caricature, parody, pastiche and appropriation art, which all borrow recognizably from prior works in order [...]
Removal of Student Art Undermines Artistic Freedom
The decision to quickly remove a student art project involving a teepee from a California college campus sent the wrong message about artistic freedom and claims of offense.
Victory: Library Will Continue to Display “Edgy” Exhibit
An exhibit of dolls at the Long Beach library was deemed too controversial because it included a depiction of police brutality. The library decided to go on with the show; NCAC offers some guidelines for curators who are faced with similar controversies.
Teepee Art Project Removal a Missed Opportunity for Conversation
A California college removed a teepee art project after complaints-- missing an opportunity to have a real discussion about some vital issues.
NCAC Goes to France: Artists Adapt Best Practices for Managing Controversy
Artists in France are adapting NCAC's work.
“Censorship in the Guise of Child Protection:” Jonas Tarm and the NY Youth Symphony
A New York Times reviewer offers a scathing response to the New York Youth Symphony's decision to censor a young composer's Carnegie Hall debut.
Music Freedom Day in New York
A quick look at how Music Freedom Day was celebrated in New York City.
After Questionable Copyright Claim, Public Library Removes Mother Teresa Painting
Is this really about copyright? Trumbull removes a painting of Mother Teresa from the public library amidst questionable claims of copyright infringement.
Attacks on Artistic Freedom On the Rise
A new report shows that attacks on artists were on the rise in 2014-- even here in the United States.
Labor Art Censored? Canceled Mural Controversy at the Museum of the City of New York
Is the Museum of the City of New York censoring labor art--or merely exercising proper curatorial judgment?
Censored Art: Profanity and Police Brutality
The Charlie Hebdo massacres prompted worldwide calls to embrace and celebrate artistic freedom. But actions speak louder than words. As demonstrations in support of free speech were held in Paris and we all reconfirmed our commitment to an open exchange of ideas, two cultural spaces in the United States-– one a library, the other a university-– censored artwork.
NCAC Joins Worldwide Secret Cinema Screenings to Protest Censorship of The Interview
On Sunday, Dec 21st, NCAC joined Secret Cinema and Spectrum to screen Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator in protest against the cancellation of The Interview. As NCAC noted in a statement regarding the cancellation, threats of violence have become increasingly successful in suppressing cultural expression. Before Sony Pictures Entertainment withdrew its film, The Interview, from all outlets of circulation and distribution, we saw London’s [...]
NCAC Joins FIRE in Letter to University of Iowa Over Disturbing Censorship
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) are urging University of Iowa president Sally Mason to issue a statement recognizing the First Amendment rights of Professor Serhat Tanyolacar and make clear that his artwork is fully protected under the First Amendment. The letter was issued in response to the forced removal from [...]
The Damned Dozens: Art Censorship in 2014
Don’t hold your breath for nipple reveals or cock shows – while artistic representations of nudes remain a regular target of censorship, the most compelling and controversial artwork in 2014 came from artists challenging social norms and exposing cultural fissures. There was the occasional use of female anatomy or children as subjects, but what each painting, photo, or mural on [...]