Canadian Non-profit Association Orders Artist to Remove Image of Karl Marx From Public Mural
Date: 2008
Region: North America
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Public Art
Artist: Unnamed Local Artist
Confronting Bodies: West End BIZ (Business Improvement Zone)
Dates of Action: July 2008
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Description of Artwork: Public painted mural depicting Winnipeg during the 1919 general strike.
The Incident: The Executive Director of West End BIZ, Gloria Cardwell-Hoeppner, admitted to ordering a local artist to remove an image of a man who resembled Karl Marx from the final design of a public mural that the association commissioned. She remarked that the BIZ's original intention was to commission a mural that depicted the social climate and history of that period in Winnipeg, rather than the political history. The artist complied and the image of the Marx-looking man was removed from the mural.
Results of Incident: Passerby have expressed some disappointment and the mural is the subject of a local internet blog. However, no action is being taken.
Source: Winnipeg Free Press