Student art removed
Danielle Cox, Copy Editor
Issue date: 9/17/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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After receiving a complaint from a freshman student, Director of First-Year Programs Dr. Herbert Bruce contacted the art department about the piece to express the views on behalf of the freshman student.
"One freshman, a veteran and a former medic while serving in Iraq, reported to me that one of the items on display on second floor of Schewel bothers him greatly… He has lost several friends in Iraq and even though he knows the poster is a political statement, he also sees it as an insult to those who have lost their lives in this war," Bruce said in an e-mail to the chairs of the art and communication departments.
Dean of the School of Communication and the Arts Dr. Dan Lang said that it was the art department's decision to take the art down. Lang said that the art space in Schewel Hall is fairly new and to his knowledge a policy regarding the nature of the art displayed has not been developed.
"To my knowledge they haven't put together a list of policy guidelines about what they're gonna display there. This may be one outcome of this particular [situation]," Lang said.
Lynchburg College recently implemented an initiative to attract veterans to campus, Bruce said.
"We're trying to attract more veterans here. So, it seemed like a contradiction. And I think that's something that the school has to wrestle with," Bruce said.
Twenty-nine students attending LC receive veterans' benefits through a GI bill, Registrar and Assistant Dean for Academics and Student Information Jay Webb said at a faculty development lunch.
Hunter's artwork was displayed on the first floor of Schewel Hall last fall along with other student designed campaign posters for three to four weeks and no complaints were made, Assistant Professor of Art Ursula Bryant said.
In her four years here Bryant said that she has never been asked to take artwork down.
"I know it's a very good design [but] we know this is a diverse campus so we don't want to offend or make anyone uncomfortable," Bryant said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Greg B.
posted 9/18/09 @ 4:22 PM EST
Although I see why people asked to take the piece down, I don't think it was valid enough to take it down. Any piece of art has a danger of offending someone, especially if related to nudity, politics or other "taboo" topics, but that's not merit enough to censor student work. (Continued…)
Kristin Harris
posted 9/18/09 @ 8:33 PM EST
Too bad the offended vet didn't stop to consider that the purpose of the poster and the anti-war sentiment was to lament the fact that American soldiers were dying, not to ridicule them. (Continued…)
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