From Children banned from explicit gallery display
Children aged 12 and under, who are not accompanied by an adult, will not be allowed to see a controversial new art display.
The shOUT exhibition at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art, explores the sexuality and lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
An explicit photograph by artist Robert Mapplethorpe is featured as well as art from the likes of Grayson Perry, David Hockney, Holly Johnson and Scottish artist Chad McCail.
Secondary school pupils were originally to be invited to view the art, but after details of the exhibition were revealed last week, James Coleman, deputy leader of Glasgow City Council, said the council would not "facilitate" any school visits.
From Bowling Green bans art depicting oral sex
On March 17, David Sapp, an art professor at BGSU Firelands and director of the Little Gallery, was asked by Firelands Interim Dean James Smith to take down the sculpture because there were complaints that Smith worried would result in “problems with the press” or “legal” issues of the sculpture being labeled as “child pornography,” according to a memorandum Sapp sent to all faculty and staff at BGSU Firelands.
After Sapp refused to remove the sculpture, BGSU Interim Provost Mark Gromko directed Smith to remove the artwork.
According to Sapp, the sculpture was “near the window of the gallery, but could not be seen unless you walked into the gallery.” However, BGSU administrators were concerned that children attending the McBride Auditorium, located adjacent to the gallery, “may have been directly affected by the specific criminal act depicted.”
“As an institution of higher education, Bowling Green State University strongly supports the right of free speech and artistic expression. However, we also have a responsibility and obligation to not expose the children and families we invite to our campus to inappropriate material,” the news release said.
From These Books Too Gay for Amazon
As if it wasn't hellacious enough working customer support for Amazon.com on Easter, the online book store's reps must now explain why gay romances (and other books) are too "adult" to rank.
Straight romance like Jackie Collins and straight porn like this book of Playboy centerfolds is still ranked on Amazon.
But not the homosexul stuff: Gay romance publisher Mark Probst noticed hundreds of such books lost their rankings over the past two days, including Transgressions, about a 17th century liaison between a cavalry trooper and a farmer's son, and False Colors, about a 19th century naval lieutenant attracted to his commanding officer.
Probst wrote to Amazon through his publisher's account, and was told
In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.There is now an full-fledged Twitter shitstorm, naturally, and a new, snarky definition for the term "Amazon Rank," spreading virally. It's hard to imagine the Seattle-based retailer sticking by this controversial policy after naming a gay Brit's novel their "Book of the Year."
On the other hand, Amazon must be happy, on some level, to have finally expanded its customer base beyond the sophisticated techno elites, straight through into the American cultural backwaters where this sort of material is remotely offensive, somehow.
From Banned art gets a second chance
Art censorship is alive and well in Manukau City. A recently completed mural by Andy Leleisi'uao one of the country's leading Pacific artists has been rejected by the local community.
He had undertaken the Mangere East Community Centre mural project with funding made available from the ASB Community Trust and the Manukau City Creative Community Scheme earlier this year.
The 25 metre mural was to replace one which he had painted 14 years ago but which had deteriorated because the original materials were not suitable and had not be protected against graffiti.
After discussions with the centre he produced the 25 metre painted mural on Marine ply for the site.
At the point where the work was almost completed the artist was advised that the community did not appreciate or understand the work and he was requested to produce a more acceptable work
A delegation of members of the community was invited to view the work which was set out in the centre and to pass comment on it. A majority voted to oppose its installation.
The artist is now required to repaint the old mural, his payments are withheld and he awaits the return of the rejected mural.
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