Higgins,+Tyler

Tyler Higgins 6/6/11 English SAP SAP

In 2003 in Pilot Point Texas, artist Justine Wollaston designed a mural. The mural was a painted on the side of Farmers andMerchantsArtGallery. The painting was of her depiction of Eve in the nude at the moment she made the choice to partake of the forbidden fruit.Texas then case claims that the mural is “harmful to minors” do to the way Eve was depicted in the nude. This case is still pending.(Eve) Because art censorship has taken artist individual rights to freely express what they want to say, what the USA should do to solve this problem of artist beginning silence, is to form a coalition of art historians and varies famous artist to see of the art that is really controversial has meaning behind it.

In Nancy Day’s book Censorship: or freedom of Expression, she says that “Censorship occurs when the government, special interest groups, or private individuals impose their moral or political values on others by suppressing words images or ideas that they find objectionable.” Visual art censorship is basically, the something with images being suppressed. This is a problem because censorship just walks all on the First Amendment. The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; and petition the government for a redress of grievance”. The problem is found out thought theUnited States, mostly of to the many divided races and religions. The affect is mainly on artists but it also affects everyone else because it takes away the own exposure to art and affects how artists have to their work.

Visual art censorship is an effect caused by our different political views. Dayton Claudio had fallen victim to this problem due to his painting Sex, Laws, Coat hangers. Dayton had his permit revoked that let him hang his artwork to in the Raleigh Federal building due to how the painting was “controversial” and ”political” for the reason the painting depicting a nude women and the flag covering part of her face and a baby fetus in the corner of the painting.Dayton was trying to raise awareness to abortion with this painting. This is an example how political view censors art.

Another cause of visual art censorship is obscenity. Obscenity is when a picture offensive to morality or decency or causes uncontrolled sexual desire. There was a court case in 1969USAvs. 10 Erotic painting. There wereUScustoms agents that seized 10 painting and drawing being shipped here to go and an exhibit. The 10 piece of arts were seized due to the authority of federal law prohibiting the importation of obscene materials. The painting and drawings were explicit in their showing of the male and female anatomy parts. In this court case there were three criteria that make a work “obscene”. There isn’t any artistic, political, or scientific value if work depicts in a patently offensive way or sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law or if an average person finds the art piece interesting (exciting lustful thoughts) then piece of art is obscene. The 10 paintings were found to have artistic value and were giving back.

The third main reason or cause for art censorship is religions. Even with the intimate relationship between religion and art its one of the main causes of art censoring. As Svetlana Mintcheva names the artists like Robert Mappletthrope, Andres Serrano, Joel-Peter Witkin, Karen Finley, Terrace Macnally, and Robert Gober whose art was censored due to religion. Religion groups said that it’s wrong to use religious symbols in art so people don’t get the wrong idea of the religion but it may interest them so they want to join the religion or look in to it so that they can join it. Along with cause these are effects. Visual art censorship affects the kids due to the corrupting their minds. John K Wilson argues in his book __How the Left Can Win Arguments an Influence People__ that “children learn a powerful lesson [form censorship of art]: you shouldn’t argue with opposing ideas but instead try to eliminate enemy values from public consideration.” I agree with John point cause he is essence saying that you can not express what you want but only what the public wants and that there no point on arguing with. Then this show the kids that the government controls you can say due to censorship of art.

The censorship of art effect artists’ minds. Its makes the artists second guess what they should do for art in fear that it maybe censored. This is mainly why censorship is an issue, its cause artists to not be free. This also causes future artists to not become artists due to. I feel art censorship is an important issue because it makes art bland. As the group (ACULU) or know The American Civil Liberties Union a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that defends the bill of rights states “Censorship is like poison gas: a powerful weapon that can harm you when the wind shifts.” In other words, The American Civil Liberties Union’s point in stating that “Censorship is like poison gas” their basically saying that that artist can’t even speak their silence before they spoke then that affects their art and they also means it affects everyone due to censorship spreads everywhere. I care because if art is bland then its will make everything bland then we will live in a boring world with nothing of excitement. The positive change I would like to see brought upon art censorship is that it stops. So that artists can be able to express themselves.

One solution that has been suggested it was an art museum for the censored art. These will let artists express themselves and let people be able to see the art work that wanted to paint or draw. These will then open the public’s eye to issue that they (artists) want to depict. I thought of this solution for art censorship for the artists that have been attacked or censored because of art. As I thought of the issue more in-depth this is actually a form censored art too. See if the museum would have only censored art then it would be isolating the art that is censored.

My Solution that I want to try to stop visual art censorship is to form a panel or coalition of varies art historians and artists. This panel will be able to take pieces of art that is found offensive or obscene and see if the artwork has meaning behind and message or a point to get across to the public. If the artwork has passed the panel then it gets documents stating that the piece can’t be censored in anyway. If the piece is found that it doesn’t have meaning behind it then the panel can suggest to the artist of the artwork to fix the piece of art. Then if he or she refuses to fix the piece then the coalition has the right to put the artwork in a museum for art that has no meaning or message this way the First Amendment walk upon and the art work can still be seen by the public if they wish to see it. The Panel could never actually take the piece of art destroy it and the panel has to obey the 1st Amendment which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; and petition the government for a redress of grievance”. I feel my solution is the best for this issue because its still lets the public see the art and the artists can get their message across.

Unquestionably, art censorship has been a seriously issue for years due to it taking artists rights to freely express what they want to say and causing artist beginning silence. My solution to this issue is to have theUSAto have a panel or coalition of varies art historian and artists to find if the artwork has meaning. If these issue is not solved then kids will be affected, art will not be art it would shit, and as The American Civil Liberties Union states “Censorship is like poison gas: a powerful weapon that can harm you when the wind shifts.”. If we don’t stop this issue now the wind will shift the poison gas known as censorship will shift towards us the people and do you want that?