Latin American Advisory Council
Artist: Commissioned Muralist
Year: 1974
Date of Action: November 1974
Region: North America
Location: Blue Island, Illinois
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Commercial Advertising, Painting, Public Art
Confronting Bodies: Blue Island Officials
Description of Artwork: A mural, painted on the exterior wall of a restaurant, that depicts the struggles of Mexican-American laborers
The Incident: The Latin American Advisory Council, a community organization that promotes Hispanic culture in Blue Island (Illinois), leased an exterior wall of a restaurant to an artist. Town officials complained that the proposed mural could be recognized as a sign under city ordinance, and thus, was too large
Results of Incident: In court, Judge Austin ruled in favor of the LAAC, noting that the ordinance ought to apply to only commercial signs, not to forms of communication--like murals-- that "seek to portray an idea." According to Judge Austin, the mural, no matter how large (this was the quality of the mural that was initially contested), was protected by the First Amendment.
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