West Hollywood Blocks Artist’s Work / Resolution Found
The City of West Hollywood planned exhibitions in celebration of Women's History Month - and then yanked art by a female artist representing women.
Shameless in Lafayette: Nude ArtWalk !
A few days ago we wrote about artist Nicole Touchet 's recent brush with censorship in Free the Nipple: Nude Paintings Raise Temperatures in Lafayette. The artists of Lafayette have since rallied around the cause of freedom of expression with a city-wide Nude ArtWalk. For this occasion we offer our statement on nudes and censorship: The Human Body is Not [...]
Free the Nipple: Nude Paintings Raise Temperatures in Lafayette
And Indiana artist gets a message from her landlord: "You have to take down the nude pictures you have in your gallery. Part of the agreement to rent you the space was to not display nude pictures.”
Does “Hate Art” Have a Place?
Does art that offends belong in a government building? That's the debate unfolding in Denver, after a student's painting that likens police to the Ku Klux Klan was displayed in the city's Webb Building.
In Defense of Offense: Student Artwork in Kentucky
What happens when a cop complains that student artwork is “propaganda?”
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.
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.
“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.
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.
#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.
Pamela Geller and Free Speech
The right-wing provocateur has the right to say what she wants. Does she think Arabs and Muslims have the same rights?
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.
There Are Things Facebook Doesn’t Want You To See
Two more examples of the social media giant's rather peculiar standards about female nudity.
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.
NCAC Goes to France: Artists Adapt Best Practices for Managing Controversy
Artists in France are adapting NCAC's work.
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.
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.
Charlie Hebdo and Media Self-Censorship
Many US media outlets are reporting on the Charlie Hebdo massacre--but pointedly avoiding showing the images at the center of the story.
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 [...]
The Top 40 Free Speech Defenders of 2014
"Complacency is ever the enabler of darkest deeds." Robert Fanney recognized, as we do at NCAC, that silence and apathy lead to repression and censorship. In our 40th anniversary year, we celebrate the artists, authors, students, educators, librarians, lawmakers, celebs du jour, and yes, even corporations, who refused to remain silent on the top threats to free speech in 2014. [...]
Sculpture of Male Nude Declared Porn by Some Texans
Jorge Marin's sculpture group Wings of the City has been on display in Houston's Discovery Green Park since early September. Almost predictably some viewers are objecting to the nudity of the sculptures. As usual those who object do it supposedly on behalf of the innocence of children - though Wings of the City has been exhibited internationally with no apparent damage to [...]
Harvard Law Review Censors Link to Nan Goldin Photograph
The Harvard Law Review has censored a link to an image by the prominent photographer Nan Goldin, ostensibly because of concerns about child pornography. The image, "Klara and Eddy Belly Dancing," shows two little girls cavorting, one of them nude. The link was included in an article by Marjorie Heins on censorship by private companies that offer social-media sites, web [...]
Conflict Avoidance
Cancelled commencement speakers, a rush of attempts to put trigger warnings on class content, student petitions to remove potentially disturbing artwork from campus… What is going on? Academia is no stranger to free speech battles. In the 1950s professors could be ousted for “treasonous or seditious acts or utterances” or for being members of an organization advocating the violent overthrow [...]
Damien Hirst’s “The Virgin Mother” Under Fire In Long Island. Protect Interesting Public Art!
Damien Hirst's The Virgin Mother is a large piece about even larger subjects: life, death, birth, and humanity. But is it too large for Old Westbury, L.I.? The Virgin Mother was previously displayed (there are several casts) at Lever House in Manhattan, outside London's Royal Academy, and on Fontvieille Harbour, Monaco. But now that it landed in posh Old Westbury, [...]
Kennesaw State reinstates art installation, but is there more trouble brewing in Academia? Trigger warnings.
Kennesaw State finally formally announced the reinstatement of Ruth Stanford's “A Walk in the Valley” to the opening exhibition at the new Bernard A. Zuckerman Museum of Art. The piece, a commissioned work about Georgia author Corra Harris' homestead, was taken down two weeks ago, shortly before the formal opening on Saturday, March 1st.