Artistic Expression
A pro-Trump mural vandalized with the slogan “stop white supremacy.” A television reboot canceled after a racist remark from its star comedienne. A painter denied a venue after previous sex offenses came to light. University productions of vintage theater works canceled because of language that now seems insensitive. Artists are traditionally seen as having broad creative freedom to express themselves, yet the national climate and divisions along lines of identity have demonstrated just how political art can be. These cases underline that no art form — from theater to sculpture to music — is free from society’s battles about speech.
Reflection Questions
- Are the arts a testing ground for the ongoing struggles over Free Speech in the United States? Do they tend to foster greater freedom or invite restrictions?
- Does a time of political and cultural tension tend to promote greater or lesser artistic freedom?
- Can we count on U.S. educational institutions to support and sustain creativity, or have many of them yielded to darker impulses and pressures and failed to defend artistic expression?
Context
Art and Culture Censorship Timeline
National Coalition Against Censorship- Free Speech and (Offensive) Art
Inside Higher Ed (Jan. 13, 2012) - One Man’s Vulgarity
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (2018)