In Times of War
Date: 2005
Region: North America
Subject: Political
Medium: Mixed Media
Artist: Cat Cutcher
Confronting Bodies: Tim Peacock, director of Stuart's Opera House
Dates of Action: April to May, 2005
Location: Stuart's Opera House, Nelsonville, Ohio
Description of Artwork: The exhibit featured the artwork of forty artists with war related themes.
The Incident: Stuart's Opera House canceled the exhibit due to concerns about the "aesthetic and political nature of the show," and because they felt it was not appropriate for their audience.
The director of Stuart's Opera House had not prescreened the artwork included in the exhibit, however, once the director saw the artwork, he decided the Opera House was not an appropriate location to show the work. The director said the Opera House does not like to exhibit political artwork. Before the director of the Opera House had seen the artwork, the coordinator of the exhibit had already eliminated several works depicting nudes because the Opera House preferred non-violent and non-graphic works. The director of the Opera House did not want to exhibit artworks that would be inappropriate for children to view.
Similar controversies surrounded the artwork at exhibits at the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center and at the Alden Library.
Results of Incident: As a result of the cancellation of the show, seven to ten people held a protest in Nelsonville. The protesters covered their mouths in tape claiming that the Opera House's action amounted to censorship.
Source: http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-14034-opera-house-was-wrong-to-cancel-anti-war-art-exhibit.html and http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/print-article-19331-print.html
