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LA-based art protest group LA RAW invited artists and activists, along with supporters of free speech and free expression, to gather at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA, where Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough was to speak at the Town Hall Los Angeles public issues series, to protest against the escalating art censorship from the Smithsonian to LA MoCA. [LA Raw blog]
If you missed it, we have an update on what people have been saying about Clough & the Wojnarowicz censorship case. Also, we had a reporter on the scene of today’s protest and she will be filling her story (with images) soon.
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After the demo, a few of us from The Center for the Study of Political Graphics, along with two other activists, went inside for the program. (Some of us got in for free) Wayne Clough started his speech with comments about the “people outside” and his censorship descision. He repeated the term “people outside” several times. I had all I could do to stay in my seat. The room was heavy with security. Twenty minutes later and a boat load of bragging about preserving history for everyone….bla bla…, Clough was ready for question and answers. The questions had to be written on small pieces of paper and handed over to an usher. All very quiet and polite. The first question was about the possibility of bringing the Smithsonian :Hide/Seek show to Los Angeles. Several of us applauded. I yelled out UNCENSORED! People were shocked. (how dare anyone speak out loud!) Security was on me in a second. I told them that this was the question and answer period and that if they kept talking I wasn’t going to be able to hear the answer.
Several questions later, my new friend Francis blurted out “Shame on you for censoring the exhibition!” The crowd was stunned, security escorted her out. The cameras were flashing.
My impression of Wayne Clough is that he is self absorbed with a skewed idea of what true history is.
After all, David Wojnarowicz was a very important person in history. He was a man living with AIDS who fought back with his art and actions. Censoring his video is censoring history, AIDS activist history, art history, and Queer culture history. Like my new friend Francis said, “Shame on you!” Jeff S.