PROTEST CENSORSHIP AT THE SMITHSONIAN

t r a n s f o r m e r

 1.28.11

Protest of Smithsonian Censorship this Monday 1.31.11
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Tell the Board of Regents - Clough must go!

Monday, January 31, 1:00pm
Meet outside the Smithsonian Metro station, at the Mall entrance. From there, we'll head to The Castle, Smithsonian Headquarters.

Last November, Smithsonian Institution head G. Wayne Clough touched off a firestorm of controversy when he quickly capitulated to the complaints of right-wing politicians and an anti-gay religious group and removed a video work by seminal gay artist David Wojnarowicz from the ground-breaking National Portrait Gallery show Hide/Seek.

His shocking and unconscionable decision to censor this exhibition triggered widespread condemnation - a New York Times editorial called it "an appalling act of political cowardice" and protesters marched in Washington, New York, and Los Angeles. Today, Clough still refuses to put the video back in the show, and has publicly defended his censorship, saying he would do it again "only handle it better."

When the Smithsonian's Board of Regents meets Monday, Jan. 31 in Washington they will be confronting this controversy and Clough's action for the first time. They have the power to restore the video and fire Clough.  We want to be there to let them know that this decision was wrong and it will not stand.  Clough's actions are a clear threat to this country's largest cultural institution, the Smithsonian.

View the Facebook event here.

Organized by ART+, a New York City-based
art action groupfighting censorship and homophobia.

With support from:
Transfomer
Museum of Censored Art