Banned, Blacklisted and Boycotted: Censorship and the Response to It (The B-Word Project) is an 18-month campus-wide initiative, running from September 2011 through December 2012, at California State University, Long Beach.
My art survey class just got more exciting! We are going to have speakers come once a week and feed our minds gold.
Dr. Kevin Johnson lectured us on the role of censorship in America and the involvement of politics in art. The 1stAmendment is supposed to protect our freedom of speech, religion, press, assemble, and petition but there are boundaries as to how much an artist can expose to the public. Artist express whatever is important to them, but sometimes it is controversial and the moral majority does not approve. This becomes an issue especially for live broadcasters, museums, gallery owners and companies who may get fined by the Federal Communications Commision if these artists "cross the line." Indecent speech and obscenity are determined by community standards. Depending on how the public reacts, things will be censored.
He stated “Where there is controversy, there is censorship.” This is true, as artists are always “pushing the envelope.” Art has to have context so we can understand where it is coming from. People will look at a work and dismiss it as obscene because of cultural diversity, lack of information, or just plan ignorance. Society would rather be blind and lied to instead of becoming educated in diverse issues. Where there is controversy, there is conversation and isn't that the purpose of art?
There was a panel discussion on the commercial side of art. Gallery owners can deny art if they feel it does not meet the community standards. Artist can express themselves through any medium, but that does not mean they can expose it to the public eye. Michele Roberge mentioned, when she books events at CSULB she thinks about what will sell and what is acceptable at the moment. We are narrowing down and reducing endless possibilities in order to meet community standards. Art is about stirring up a conversation, opening our minds, and looking at different perspectives. Because somethings makes us uncomfortable, should we censor it?
Our rights are not necessarily set in stone. They have changed many times, but surprisingly rarely for the better. The government censors what, when, where, and who they can expose their art to. It is also up to society to determine what is acceptable because their reactions will determine how censorship will play out. We need to be aware of our 1st Amendment rights and protect them.
