Textbook at Maldonado Elementary School
Date: 1995
Region: North America
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Education, Painting
Artist: El Greco, Picasso, Renoir, O'Keefe, Excher, Manet, Parrish, Bosch, Gauguin
Confronting Bodies: Parents of elementary school children
Dates of Action: 1995
Location: Maldonado Elementary School, Tucson, Arizona
Description of Artwork: Survey of works by artists listed above, bound in text books.
The Incident: The parent of a child enrolled in an art class, which used texts surveying works of famous artists, approached the Principal about removing the books. The parent believed that the works were "pornographic and morbid." When the principal refused to remove the books the parent joined with several others to petition the Assistant Superintendent. The Assistant then removed the books. Because of protests for the books return by a community coalition promoting free expression a Library Resource Review Committee held a hearing to debate the propriety of the books presence in an elementary class.
Results of Incident: After the hearing, the committee decided unanimously to reinstate the books.
Source: NCAC: based on an article in "Artisic Freedom Under Attack" Volume 3, 1995 provided by People for the American Way
