Zero2Cool
14 years ago
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20101002/NEWS01/10020350/Protesters-object-to-Jesus-print 

Loveland is about 20 minutes from where I live.

UserPostedImage
LOVELAND - More than 60 people turned out Friday morning to protest one piece in an art exhibit at the Loveland Museum/Gallery in a city nationally recognized for its art-friendly culture.

Holding signs decrying the museum and the City Council and calling the exhibit pornographic, some protesters prayed the rosary out loud while others waved as cars drove by on Lincoln Avenue, honking their horns.

The image in question is a depiction of Jesus Christ involved in what some say is an act of oral sex.

Link to the artist's work: "The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals"

Part of a folded-paper lithograph and woodcut panel depicting cultural icons, the piece, "The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals," was created by California-based artist Enrique Chagoya, a professor at Stanford University.

Chagoya is one of 10 artists with work displayed in the Museum/ Gallery's current show, called "The Indelible Ink of Bud Shark," featuring pieces the artists created with the help of Shark, a master printmaker and Lyons resident. There are 82 pieces in the gallery show.

Loveland City Council-woman Donna Rice attended the protest. Rice and Councilors Daryle Klassen and Hugh McKean all voted earlier this week to put a discussion of the piece on a Tuesday Council agenda, but four votes would have been needed to do so.

"This offends me to my toes," Rice said outside the Museum/Gallery. "I don't want something this disgusting depicted. I don't even want to call it art."

Rice and Klassen both said they want the piece removed.

The Loveland Museum/ Gallery is a municipal department, funded by the city. Its curator and director are both city-funded positions. The Museum/Gallery draws private donations, as well.

When Museum/Gallery staff contacted Shark about possible print-making activities, he freely offered the exhibit for display, said Maureen Corey, curator for the city's Cultural Services Department.

The Museum/Gallery paid for installation costs and did not receive any grant money for the exhibit, she said. Corey views the exhibit as an opportunity to share "wonderful art."



Still, Rice objected to Chagoya's piece in the overall exhibit.

"We don't want Loveland to be X-rated," she said.

City religious leaders also spoke out against the artwork.

"It depicts clearly a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ engaging in an oral sex act with another person," said Deacon Ed Armijo of St. John's The Evangelist Catholic Church. On Thurs-day, Armijo and several residents visited the Museum/ Gallery to voice their opposition to the exhibit.

"To my Catholic community, I am going to get the word out to come down here and protest this kind of display of pornography," Armijo said.

Susan Ison, Loveland's director of Cultural Services, helped coordinate displays in the gallery. She said both the museum's board and the city's cultural services board have made the decision to keep the piece on display.

During Friday's protest, a small sign was placed near the entrance to the exhibit reading: "The Loveland Museum/ Gallery is a forum for a broad range of perspectives and images. These galleries contain art that may evoke strong reactions."

"There was no discussion about the pieces being offensive," Ison said of the decision to bring in the exhibit. "We did not expect any issues to be involved with this."

Before people began protesting the artwork, Ison said 600 people viewed the exhibit, which opened Sept. 11 and is scheduled to run through Nov. 28.

The same exhibit was displayed in Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art a few years ago, she said, and Chagoya's work has been shown throughout the country.

Ison said Chagoya calls his work "reverse anthropology" and in it depicts well-known cultural icons in ways that might elicit a response from the viewer. The controversial image that appears to be Jesus is part of the same work showing icons such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Lucille Ball.

Ison said she is not personally offended by the piece, but many protesters outside the Museum/Gallery on Friday called the image blasphemous, a hate crime, pornographic and homosexual.

Dorothy Monsma, a Loveland resident since 2000, and her husband, Tim, joined the protest after hearing about Klassen's remarks earlier in the week, in which he called the piece "smut."

"My opinion is that it's not only smut, it's sacrilegious," Dorothy Monsma said. "It should be removed."

Monsma said that, if the same drawing had been done showing Islamic prophet Muhammad, Muslims might have responded with outrage and probably violence.

She often visits the Museum/Gallery with her grandchildren, she said, but she wouldn't do so if something like Chagoya's art is displayed.

"When we first moved here, art in Loveland was so beautiful and children-friendly," she said.

Friday night as people milled around the Museum/ Gallery, Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, talked about the controversial artwork and offered his thoughts on the lithograph.

"Quite frankly, I find it profane and I find it pornographic," he said. "I don't think it's at all appropriate for a publicly funded facility."

Such protests of artwork are not new in Loveland, a community known for its extensive sculpture displays.

In 2006, people protested a sculpture created by Loveland artist Kirsten Kokkin called "Triangle," featuring three nude figures standing in a circle holding hands.

After the statue was placed along a busy street, officials decided to relocate it to a less-conspicuous location in the Benson Sculpture Garden.

On Friday, Corey stood by a small table in the Museum/ Gallery where a line of visitors waited to leave comments in a comment box.

"Work that may be provocative is work that we've had here before," Corey said. "Part of what art does is (evoke) strong emotions."

Kathryn Shimmura, a Loveland resident and artist, sat on a bench in the gallery Friday morning. She said she is not offended by the piece.

"I'm not into judgmental thinking," Shimmura, said.

Some of the exhibit's protesters carried signs that asked the city to protect its citizens' religious beliefs.

"It's not their job to protect our religious beliefs," Shim-mura said. "If you don't like it, don't look at it."

Shimmura said she thought many of the protesters were "very narrow-minded people without much exposure to art" and that Chagoya had the freedom of speech to create his own art.

Councilwoman Joan Shaf-fer, who vocally disagreed with Klassen during Tues-day's Council meeting, said the piece is challenging and provocative.

"I think that we as individuals make our own decisions on when and how we want to be challenged," she said.

Shaffer said she has had interesting and fruitful discussions about the piece with others after viewing it.

For the issue to come before the City Council, a majority of the Council would have to vote for it to become an agenda item.

Shaffer said that she expects a large crowd of exhibit protesters to attend Tuesday's regular meeting and address the Council during the public comment portion of the meeting. If the council members see fit and vote, a discussion about the piece could be placed on the following meeting's agenda, but no action on possible removal of the piece could be decided the same night because notice of the meeting must be made available to the public.


UserPostedImage
Cheesey
14 years ago
I don't call that "art". It's garbage in my view.
It reminds me of the so called "art" several years ago, where an "artist" put a crucifix in a jar of urine. He titled it "Piss christ".
If this is art, i'd like to smear crap all over that "art" and say i made it a masterpiece.
I remember when art was REAL art. Beautiful paintings, and sculptures.
THAT is true art.
What was shown above is garbage in my view.
If that artist wanted to be more real, he'd go out in a farmer's field, gather up a pile of bull droppings, and call it a "self portrait".
UserPostedImage
alharrisdude31
14 years ago
i could care less what people write in crayon on a piece of paper, and sell it for $50,000, but im sure these people have never read the first amendment, freedom of religion. If you dont like it, don't look at it!
Wade
  • Wade
  • Veteran Member
14 years ago
As a Christian, I"m not bothered. Pinheads are pinheads, that's what they do.

As a libertarian/anarchist, this is just more evidence that "democratic" governments should not be involved in "supporting the arts." If private art aficionandos want to pay for bad art, hey, that's okay with me ... for the same reason its okay that Viking fans spend their money on purple clothing. Fools and their money, etc.

But I am bothered when "public" funds (i.e., tax revenues) are used for stuff.

I just don't understand why people think fed/state/local governments make better money decisions than ordinary people.

It's just not so.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
zombieslayer
14 years ago
Do exactly the same thing with Mohamed instead of Jesus. See what happens.

As for me personally, it's a "who cares?" issue. I'm for people drawing anything they want (as long as it's not violating someone else's copyrighted work).
My man Donald Driver
UserPostedImage
(thanks to Pack93z for the pic)
2010 will be seen as the beginning of the new Packers dynasty. πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ή πŸ‡²πŸ‡² πŸ‡¦πŸ‡·
Wade
  • Wade
  • Veteran Member
14 years ago

Do exactly the same thing with Mohamed instead of Jesus. See what happens.

As for me personally, it's a "who cares?" issue. I'm for people drawing anything they want (as long as it's not violating someone else's copyrighted work).

"zombieslayer" wrote:



so, how do you feel about remix, zombie? πŸ™‚
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
zombieslayer
14 years ago



so, how do you feel about remix, zombie? :)

"Wade" wrote:



Usually hate it. It's usually because the execution is so horrible. Same with cover tunes.
My man Donald Driver
UserPostedImage
(thanks to Pack93z for the pic)
2010 will be seen as the beginning of the new Packers dynasty. πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ή πŸ‡²πŸ‡² πŸ‡¦πŸ‡·
Formo
14 years ago

As a Christian, I"m not bothered. Pinheads are pinheads, that's what they do.

But I am bothered when "public" funds (i.e., tax revenues) are used for stuff.

I just don't understand why people think fed/state/local governments make better money decisions than ordinary people.

It's just not so.

"Wade" wrote:



THIS.

+1
UserPostedImage
Thanks to TheViking88 for the sig!!
Porforis
14 years ago
It's not terribly tasteful but (as a Christian myself), you can't live your life being offended. All these protesters did is bring more attention to the art and made their own lives more stressful.
zombieslayer
14 years ago
You know what amazes me about this thread? It's how "cool" the Christians are about this. Nobody's flying off the hook. Nobody's threatening anyone with violence.

Pissed? Yes, but everyone managed to call the guy an idiot then move on.

Kudos to Christians for keeping your cool.
My man Donald Driver
UserPostedImage
(thanks to Pack93z for the pic)
2010 will be seen as the beginning of the new Packers dynasty. πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ή πŸ‡²πŸ‡² πŸ‡¦πŸ‡·
Users browsing this topic
    Fan Shout
    Zero2Cool (5h) : Seems some are flocking to BlueSky and leaving Tweeter. I wonder if BlueSky allows embeded lists
    beast (12-Nov) : He's a review guy
    Zero2Cool (12-Nov) : Jordy Nelson is still in the NFL.
    Zero2Cool (11-Nov) : Ok, will do.
    wpr (11-Nov) : Kevin, donate it to a local food pantry or whatever she wants to do with it. Thanks
    wpr (11-Nov) : Kevin,
    Zero2Cool (11-Nov) : Wayne, got your girl scout order.
    dfosterf (11-Nov) : I believe Zero was being sarcastic
    dfosterf (11-Nov) : Due to that rookie kicker Jake Bates that Zero said "he didn't want anyway". 58 yarder to tie the game, 52 yarder to win it. In fairness,
    Mucky Tundra (11-Nov) : Lions escape with a win
    Mucky Tundra (11-Nov) : and now Goff looking better
    Mucky Tundra (11-Nov) : Goff with ANOTHER INT
    Mucky Tundra (11-Nov) : and now Stroud throwing INTs
    Mucky Tundra (11-Nov) : Goff having an ATROCIOUS game
    wpr (11-Nov) : Happy birthday Corps. Ever faithful. Thanks dfosterf.
    Mucky Tundra (10-Nov) : stiff armed by Baker Mayfield for about 5-7 yards and still managed to get a pass off
    Mucky Tundra (10-Nov) : Nick Bosa
    wpr (8-Nov) : Jets are Packers (L)East
    Zero2Cool (8-Nov) : Jets released K Riley Patterson and signed K Anders Carlson to the practice squad.
    wpr (8-Nov) : Thanks guys
    Mucky Tundra (7-Nov) : Happy Birthday wpr!
    Zero2Cool (7-Nov) : Anders Carlson ... released by 49ers
    dfosterf (7-Nov) : Happy Birthday!😊😊😊
    wpr (7-Nov) : Thanks Kevin.
    Zero2Cool (7-Nov) : Happy Birthday, Wayne! πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‚πŸ₯³
    beast (7-Nov) : Edge Rushers is the same... it's not the 4-3 vs 3-4 change, it's the Hafley's version of the 4-3... as all 32 teams are actually 4-2
    Zero2Cool (6-Nov) : OLB to DE and player requests trade. Yet folks say they are same.
    beast (5-Nov) : In other news, the Green Bay Packers have signed Zero2Cool to update their website πŸ˜‹ jk
    beast (5-Nov) : Might just re-sign the kicker we got
    beast (5-Nov) : Are there any kickers worth drafting next year?
    Zero2Cool (5-Nov) : Preston Smith for Malik Willis
    Mucky Tundra (5-Nov) : Getting a 7th rounder from the Stillers
    Zero2Cool (5-Nov) : At least we get 7th round pick now!! HELLO NEW KICKER
    Mucky Tundra (5-Nov) : Steelers getting a premier lockdown corner!
    Zero2Cool (5-Nov) : Packers are trading edge rusher Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers, per sources.
    Mucky Tundra (5-Nov) : Preston Smith traded to the Steelers!!!!
    Zero2Cool (5-Nov) : CB Marshon Lattimore to Commanders
    Zero2Cool (5-Nov) : Bears are sending RB Khalil Herbert to the Bengals, per sources.
    Zero2Cool (5-Nov) : ZaDarius Smith continues his "north" tour.
    Zero2Cool (5-Nov) : Let the Chiefs trade a 5th for him
    Zero2Cool (5-Nov) : Nearing 30, large contract, nope.
    Martha Careful (5-Nov) : any interest in Marshon Lattimore?
    Zero2Cool (4-Nov) : What does NFL do if they're over cap?
    Mucky Tundra (4-Nov) : They've been able to constantly push it out through extensions, void years etc but they're in the hole by 72 million next year I believe
    hardrocker950 (4-Nov) : Seems the Saints are always in cap hell
    Mucky Tundra (4-Nov) : Saints HC job is not an envious one; gonna be in cap hell for 3 years
    Mucky Tundra (4-Nov) : Dennis Allen has now been fired twice mid-season with Derek Carr as his starting QB
    Zero2Cool (4-Nov) : Kuhn let go
    beast (4-Nov) : I wonder if the Packers would have any interest in Z. Smith, probably not
    Zero2Cool (4-Nov) : Shefter says Browns and Lions will figure out how to get a deal done for Za'Darius Smith..
    Please sign in to use Fan Shout
    2024 Packers Schedule
    Friday, Sep 6 @ 7:15 PM
    Eagles
    Sunday, Sep 15 @ 12:00 PM
    COLTS
    Sunday, Sep 22 @ 12:00 PM
    Titans
    Sunday, Sep 29 @ 12:00 PM
    VIKINGS
    Sunday, Oct 6 @ 3:25 PM
    Rams
    Sunday, Oct 13 @ 12:00 PM
    CARDINALS
    Sunday, Oct 20 @ 12:00 PM
    TEXANS
    Sunday, Oct 27 @ 12:00 PM
    Jaguars
    Sunday, Nov 3 @ 3:25 PM
    LIONS
    Sunday, Nov 17 @ 12:00 PM
    Bears
    Sunday, Nov 24 @ 3:25 PM
    49ERS
    Thursday, Nov 28 @ 7:20 PM
    DOLPHINS
    Thursday, Dec 5 @ 7:15 PM
    Lions
    Sunday, Dec 15 @ 7:20 PM
    Seahawks
    Monday, Dec 23 @ 7:15 PM
    SAINTS
    Sunday, Dec 29 @ 12:00 PM
    Vikings
    Saturday, Jan 4 @ 11:00 PM
    BEARS
    Recent Topics
    15m / Around The NFL / Mucky Tundra

    30m / Green Bay Packers Talk / civic

    7h / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

    12-Nov / Featured Content / Zero2Cool

    11-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

    11-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / bboystyle

    9-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / joepacker

    8-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / buckeyepackfan

    6-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

    6-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

    5-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

    5-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

    5-Nov / Featured Content / Zero2Cool

    5-Nov / GameDay Threads / Cheesey

    5-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

    Headlines
    Copyright Β© 2006 - 2024 PackersHome.comβ„’. All Rights Reserved.