San Mateo Cartoons
Artist: Ruth Santee
Year: 2008
Date of Action: September 2008
Region: North America
Location: Caltrain Station, San Mateo County
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Public Art
Confronting Bodies: City of San Mateo
Description of Artwork: Cartoons that contain depictions of nude humans, as well as dogs, cats, and fleas
The Incident: After a local business owner noticed Santee's cartoons in display cases at Caltrain station, he or she contacted a city employee complaining. Associate City Planner Julie Yeh subsequently requested--to public art coordinator Sinem Banna--that the works be removed
Results of Incident: The artist, Santee, contacted the ACLU for guidance. After explaining that city officials could not discriminate against work based on the content, City Attorney Shawn Mason announced that the work would remain in its place for the time it had been planned to be on display.
Source:
• http://www.therip.com/news/2008/09/24/art-results-in-censorship/