Cause of death: implicit bias (painting)
Artist: Annie Young
Year: 2018
Date of Action: May-June 2018
Region: North America
Location: Ames Center, Burnsville, Minnesota
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Painting
Confronting Bodies: Burnsville Visual Arts Society (BVAS)
Description of Artwork: 'Cause of death: implicit bias' is a painting by Annie Young, an artist with a hereditary condition that has rendered her blind. She is involved in advocating and inspirational speaking, and is a former member of the US Air Force.
Young was invited to display her work at the “Art Fete” exhibition (May 9-June 14) in the Ames Center, Burnsville, Minnesota. This was orchestrated by the Burnsville Visual Arts Society (BVAS), a small non-profit and volunteer-run arts organization.
The painting comprises of a yellow banner with the words “Qualified Immunity” as well as a figure of a child, which casts a vast black shadow, wielding a gun and displaying chest full of bullet holes in the shape of a peace sign. A quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is positioned on the left hand side of the painting, bearing the words "True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.” Furthermore, statements made by Benjamin Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the families of African American victims of police violence, is also present. A salient quote from this excerpt includes: "How many more black men will be killed by police officers before real change is implemented in the way America polices communities and people of color?”
With this artwork, Young aimed to stimulate discussion on the current issues associated with police violence against people of color. Her personal connection to this phenomenon, as a mother of bi-racial children, has further encouraged her to speak openly.
The Incident: But, despite winning a merit award in pre-show judging, a painting by Annie Young that takes on the difficult subject of police violence against people of color proved too controversial for display. Some BVAS board members demanded that Young remove it; she was given the option of hanging another work instead.
In a letter urging the board to restore the work to the exhibition, NCAC’s Arts Advocacy Associate Joy Garnett asserts that “claims of offense do not in and of themselves provide adequate justification for censoring artwork, and in this era of intense political polarization, many artworks may be offensive to someone’s viewpoint.”
Results of Incident: Not provided yet.
Source:
