Art Guild

Topher and others,

I was not privy to all of the events that led up to the assembling of the display case and the reason the case was covered in slogans.

Why did the art guild cover the case with slogans? What specifically took place to make them take that particular course of action?

"With child abuse and pornography so rampant in this culture, it is our responsibility as adults and educators to protect, rather than exploit children."

I find it alarming that there has been no recent formal discussion among department faculty about our position on, and how we deal with censorship and infringement upon artistic freedom. So what better time than now?

There seems to be an underlying trend (that I have heard through hearsay and through the recent past events within the department) of censorship and infringement upon artistic freedom because of an individuals sensitivity/dislike to a particular subject that makes that individual uncomfortable.

In this particular case, as a woman and a parent, I recognize that there is great import and validity to awareness and education about such issues as sexual assault (child abuse) and child pornography.
I find it difficult to make any sort of strong and convincing rational relationship between the charges made against the students and what was presented in the case. I am not clear on how we ("as adults and educators") are exploiting children and promoting child abuse or pornography through allowing the display that the Art Guild students created to remain visible.

These students (even if not completely successfully) are acting and exploring under the distinct historical conditions and constraints. Would this person who opposed the hallway case display find Sally Manns photographs of naked children as suggestive of pornography and child abuse? Possibly, but the main issue is the lack of discussion about the issue of freedom of artistic expression.

In this culture where most people find it ok that television is turning child predatory practices into an opportunity to have your 15 minutes of fame on such shows like To Catch a Predator, and where the entire US gets into an upheaval over an accidental, quick view of part of Janet Jackson's breast, we find ourselves as artists and educators again fighting over-simplicity of thought, ignorance, confusion and fear.

por-nog-graphy -noun "obscene writings, drawings, photographs, or the like, esp. those having little or no artistic merit."-Dictionary.com

There is no one definition of obscenity and pornography, strangely enough the supreme court has declared a "I know it when I see it" position. (see http://library.findlaw.com/2003/May/15/132747.html) and PBS's Frontline has attacked this issue as well http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/porn/etc/definition.html, as elusive and problematic in exactly who sanctions the judgement and determination of its definition.

Who is it that deems our students work worthy of artistic merit? Why are we not supporting our students artistic expression? It is concerning that one persons opinion will make us cow in regret because of an individual(s) opinion— regardless of how closely aligned or far flung it might be from reality?

I think its about time that the faculty bring this up at an organized discussion and an open forum with all the faculty and some student representation.

I was driving to the Twin Cities last night and saw Lola hitchhiking on the South bound lane of 35W. He/she/it was visibly agitated and obviously very cold. I pulled off the freeway to offer him/her/it assistance. I asked him/her/it where he/she/it was going and he/she/it replied, “I just need to get the HELL out of here!!!” According to police reports, He/she/it was later seen getting into a big rig with California license plates.

If an individual is inclined to anthropomorphize "Lola" to such a degree as is done by the complainant, then that individual must also allow that "Lola" is probably at least 40 years old (an adult of small stature) and quite capable of dressing her/itself if s/he chooses to do so.
Another example of precedence to add to your list (although I hesitate to bring up this tired old debate) would be Paul Granlund's sculpture, "Lofting" a bronze life-size family group- mom, dad, girl-child, boy-child and baby on display right here in Duluth outside the Miller-Dwan Hospital. I don't want to scare anybody, but they actually have genitals. Yup, all of 'em… and every few years, someone notices. Plus, they're "dancing" and holding hands and the baby is shown upside down while being tossed in the air. What kind of sinister fantasy narrative could we project onto that?
This "Lola" flap is another projection. In my opinion, in cases like these, people see what they allow themselves to see.

This is not about the exploitation of children. This is about the exploitation of a seemingly child-like, inanimate mannequin. Are we not disturbed by the piece of paper displaying the seemingly adult looking Vitruvian Man in Cina Hall?

If only this energy could be focused on relieving true "animate" child exploits; Sweatshops in South East Asia, children kidnapped from their families to fight culture wars in Uganda and elsewhere, slavery in the African diamond industry, the produce trade in South and Central America...

Should I continue?

Already exasperated by this "Lola" thing, I moved on to the other nearby display cases to see what was happening there. In the end case, (comfortably closer to the exit), I encountered "Leggy Pear", a diminutive fruit/plastic/object/figure, (think: "California raisin") that, like "Lola" was exhibiting below the waist without providing proof of legal age to do so. Shocking, I know! Perhaps there is a scale standard where all this becomes acceptable again. (Well, if it's THAT small and also not visually articulated, it's not really real anymore,… is it?) Anyway, I liked the piece, so I said "nice pear" to myself, (albeit out loud). Judging from the look I got, I was totally misunderstood by an individual passing by.

I wonder what the result would be of an organized faculty and student discussion? Does anyone think this will be beneficial?

Yes, I think an organized discussion about the display case art installation would be good. Does Art Guild feel this should come from the faculty? Could your Art Guild faculty adviser set up a meeting time for us to attend? I would do my best to be there.

I invite the person objecting to the showcase display to contact me. I would like to provide them with a copy of the Student Design Organization's Magazine, Blindsight, that is wholly dedicated to raising awarenss regarding the issue of child abuse.

There will be a forum next week to discuss the student art issues. Time and location to be announced. This will be a very respectful dialog between faculty and students about artists and their complex relationship to visual culture in an open society.

More controversy is brewing in the Tweed Museum this week...

Neal Petersen's MFA grad show was temporarily shut down due to inclusion of explicit sexual imagery. That show has now been reopened, just in time for the Duluth News Tribune to report on it. That show is up in the student gallery until Sunday.

for consideration:

AIGA
Art, Censorship and Courage
by David Rhodes May 23, 2006
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/art-censorship-and-courage

National Coalition Against Censorship
http://www.ncac.org/art/

A Brief History of the Little Mannequin Known as "Lola"

I bought her for $15 from a department store in Alma, Michigan that was going out of business in 1979. I liked her because she was an old-style mannequin, made of plaster of Paris and hand-painted. They don't make mannequins like that any more. I carried her on my back through town, with no public outrage. She stayed in my dorm room and then moved to the Alma College art dept after my cheerleader roomie complained. :-) In the art dept. someone dressed her up in a girdle & panty hose--nobody complained--that was '79 & we were watching "Rocky Horror Picture Show." She also served up jello hands for one of my art openings. I finally dressed her in an old green polka-dotted Marimekko shirt that was mine when I was 10, an old lady scarf for her "hair" and an upper peninsula hand-embroidered, hand-made hostess apron for modesty. She came with the white knee socks from the department store.

I moved to DC to go to diplomatic/language school and "Lola" moved into my parent's basement for quite a while. I used her arms for Halloween costumes a few times. After a number of years, they broke. When I moved to Duluth in 2001, I brought the mannequin in for a display here at the Viz Lab of building blocks, software and children. Afterwards I gave her to Art + Design, particularly thinking that she would be useful for drawing and studio art classes. And amusing to all.

In fall 2005 "Lola" was put in the trash of the drawing studio. Later that night Neal Peterson got her out, took her in to the grad office, named her "Lola" and she became the "mascot" of the grads. Subsequently, she migrated back to studio art and the art guild. And the rest is history.

{{••• she said, wondering virtually, ••••••••••••••••}}

Why is it so hard for people to just admit it ...

"""what ???--hey, what's THAT s'posed ta mean?"""

Is it perhaps that people are ashamed of their ignorance, or is it
that getting an answer isn't half as fun as imagining?

{{••• she pauses, then muses to herself, ••••••••••••}}

Funny..., people are STOPPING and LOOKING and TALKING about
what it means or what it doesn't mean or what...
mmmmm, what it C O U L D mean.

I visited the Tweed and saw Neil Peterson's "pieces of paper" exhibit. Violence and sexuality even pornagraphy have been apart of visual culture for centuries. I don't believe in censorship in the art world. Art should be shocking, provoking, and even offensive at times. I applaud Neil Peterson for his courage in standing up for all forms of art. Go freedom of expression!

Article about Art censorship at other campuses.

Art and the College Administrator
Even a few days later, Branda Miller’s voice rises with anger as she recalls what happened in her course Wednesday at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. An artist-in-residence — whose presence had been approved through all official channels — was in the middle of a discussion with her students when three administrators arrived, told her they needed to take the artist with them at once, escorted him to another classroom, and refused to let Miller enter or to offer any explanation to her or her students. Shortly after the disruption of her class, RPI ordered the exhibit set up by the artist — a video game based in part on an Al Qaeda video game involving attempts to kill President Bush — shut down pending a review....

Click link for the rest...
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/03/10/art

Letter writer sounds like an idiot.
I would be concerned about him/her if the first thing that comes to their mind when seeing such a manakin is paedophilia.