William Stirrat writes:

>(I would suggest that *all* concerned parties keep this in mind, including
>the museum in question.   How important is it to your project to use
>artwork that includes frontal nudity? What role would it play?  How
>important is it to the project team, and why?  Perhaps this doesn't need to
>be an issue.

As much as it pains me to appease such cultural mindlessness as that which
automatically equates sexual prurience with nudity, in the case of this
project I might agree with Wm. Stirrat.  The creative teaching of science,
and perhaps especially astronomy, to children is a high priority, I
believe.  Doing so via the internet may more successfully ignite young
imaginations and wonder at the universe than has traditional classroom
teaching methods. Maybe when they grow up these well educated children will
not be as dullwitted as their persent elders.

Mr. Stirrat also continues:
>(snip) Just because something is widely accepted does not mean that it is
>*acceptable*.  Although I agree that nudity in many classical works is
>harmless, there are many classical and contemporary works that are
>controversial because of their nudity or subject matter.  Though the artist
>has the right to create their artwork, every segment of our public has the
>right to choose whether or not they would like to view such artwork.
>Sometimes a museum needs to choose between (1) showing the artwork and
>potentially losing that segment of the public, and (2) not showing the
>artwork in deference to that segment of the public.  Whatever we decide, we
>need to remember that it is the public we serve, and we should both respect
>their opinions and show them our respect by listening to their concerns (snip).

Well, "the public" is an interesting factor that is often bannered about in
discussions of museum responsibilities.  Usually by "public" we seem to
really mean "the majority of the public."  Numbers appear to be everything,
particularly when a museum depends upon admission dollars.  But if we
really want to take the high road in citing our responsibility to the
"public," we should remember that in this pluralistic society both majority
and minority held  points of view fall under that large umbrella.  If
museums are to be truly responsive to a mandate to serve the "public", they
will not shy from exhibiting works of art that the majority of their
constituents find distasteful while  a minority do not.


Stephen Nowlin
Vice President
Director, Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery
Art Center College of Design
1700 Lida Street
Pasadena, California 91103  USA
(818)396-2397vox (818)405-9104fax
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