Pregnant Man-Complete! (sculpture)
Date: 2003
Region: North America
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Sculpture
Artist: Joy Crane
Confronting Bodies: USGS(United States Geological Survey)
Dates of Action: February 7,2003
Location: EROS(Earth Resources Observation Systems)Data Center, Karl Mundt Federal Building, Sioux Falls, SD
Description of Artwork: The wall sculpture is a beaded male figure about 8 inches tall suspended by beaded wire from a clear acrylic wall mount. Female power represented by a red loomed vertical piece of beadwork with a slit down the center hangs behind him. It has red beaded wires coming through the slit and curling towards the figure. Five copper-lined beaded wires are suspended in a "uterine" shape around him.
The Incident: A show which included the piece was hung in the public gallery area at EROS Data Center on 1/4/03. On 1/7/03, the chief of EROS told the artist's husband, who works at EROS, to take the piece, as well as one another piece (Just Another Creation Theory) down as they were "inappropriate". Crane's husband told the chief that this constituted censorship. The chief said that he was checking with other government offices to see what exhibit "policies" they had in place and would get back to him. In the meantime, the two pieces were taken down. The chief called on the same day to tell the artist what happened. Crane sent a letter of protest to the chief on 1/9/03 asking that the pieces be rehung. She also sent copies of the letter to the local newspaper. The chief received the letter 1/10/03 and told Crane's husband he would get back to her in a few days - early the following week. Since she didn't hear anything by the following Wednesday(1/15/03), Crane wrote to the NCAC and asked for help. Svetlana Mintcheva called the chief of EROS and spoke with him.
Results of Incident: The two sculptures were never allowed back into the exhibit which ended on 1/31/03. On 2/1/03, the local newspaper ran the story with a picture of the Pregnant Man sculpture on the front page and the Creation Theory sculpture on an inside page. The chief of EROS never got back to Crane.
Source: The artist, Joy Crane.
