Clouds (exhibition)
Date: 2001
Region: North America
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Photography
Artist: Henry Butz
Confronting Bodies: The Sayville Chamber of Commerce
Date of Action: Saturday, August 4th, 2001, 10:00am
Location: Main Street, Sayville, New York, USA
Description of Artwork: Collection of black and white nude images of obese women.
The Incident: A representative of the Sayville Chamber of Commerce physically removed a photography display from the street citing anonymous complaints. During the one hour in which the display was available to the public, feedback from patrons was positive. Although the photographer had given the Chamber of Commerce advance, written notice of the intended subject matter and had offered to move the display, he was still ejected.
Results of Incident: Shop owners who had witnessed the incident were upset. The photographer was sent a check to refund the entrance fee, which did not cover the expense of creating the street display nor the lost revenue. The show moved on to SoHo Photo in New York City in November of 2002 for a one month exhibition entitled Clouds.
Source: First-hand account with witness