Meriden Public Library officials have barred a local artist’s painting of Jesus, prompting a debate about the separation of church and state and free speech. Library officials turned down five images of Jesus in a show arranged by artist Mary Morley.
“When it came to anything with Jesus in it, they wouldn’t allow it,” she said. “I worked so hard on this.”
Morley canceled the exhibit, which was scheduled to begin last Monday. Library officials approved portraits of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., President John Kennedy, Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II. The library also allowed paintings that honor the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In the exhibit, titled “Visions, Hopes and Dreams,” the library allowed Old Testament images, including David and Goliath, Moses with the Ten Commandments, the prophet Elijah, a painting of two figures praying and a work titled “Angels in the Tunnel.”
and Ful Story, and Another.
Library Displays
As the person responsible for public displays in our library, I drafted the rules regarding what is (and isn’t) acceptable.
Our unacceptable statement is short and to-the-point: (feel free to use it for yourself!) “We reserve the right to refuse any display for reasons of safety, health, or other potential hazard; including, but not limited to: firearms, live animals, food.”
NO FIREARMS, because I have grave concerns about potential theft. No, we’ve never had anything stolen from a locked case (in the 16 years I’ve been here), but if someone WERE to steal a piece of pottery or a whole collection of political buttons, that would be the end of it. Under NO circumstances did I want the library to be the source of a weapon used in a shooting.
NO ANIMALS, because they get testy after a month in a locked case.
And finally, NO FOOD, because this is Florida. An interesting display of dairy products will become a frightening science project exhibit in just about 3 days –even WITH the air conditioning on!
As for religious art, I’ve never turned it down. And it is CERTAINLY not because I’m religious. (In fact, I’m as far from religious as one can get.) But I always accept it on freedom-of-speech grounds. And interestingly, (and almost without fail), those that come in asking if they can exhibit it, seem rather surprised when I tell them “yes.” I suspect they think I must CERTAINLY be a member of their particular denomination!
Oh, if they only knew! 🙂
Who is the speaker?
There is another article about this case at http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=1550130
In that article they have this quote, “As a tax-supported agency we felt that we should not have an image of the crucifixion or the nativity here,”
The library is not the speaker, the artist is the speaker. If the library was hanging up the pictures I think there might be a problem. But if an individual is using the library as a forum for speech they should be able to make reference to any religion or religios icon they want.
In the article the director is also quoted as saying “Upon seeing the pictures of the nativity, the crucifixion, we felt they were specific to the Christian faith,” said Victoria Navin,”… and we were concerned about offending our Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist communities.”
Offending people and the seperation of church and state are two different things.