I enjoyed your commentary/outrage. Thanks for writing.
The listserv is usually a forum for tips on preserving
historic documents (not to belittle the importance of
such either).
Thanks. I checked out the image of the Virgin Mary and
found it to be that of a strong, though contemporary
spin on her. Having been raised Catholic by parents
who still attend mass every day, I am not offended.

Jo

--- Maria Sanchez <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> The Sensitive Materials Committee recommended that
> the Cyber Arte
> Exhibit
> stay up.  The Our Lady art piece will not be removed
> but the exhibit will
> stay up only until October 2001 instead of its
> original date of February
> 2002.
>         This speaks for freedom of artistic
> expression.
>
>         As  has been surmised from my calls for
> support of the Cyber Arte
> exhibit
> including support for Alma Lopez and Tey Mariana
> Nunn I believe in freedom
> of artistic expression.  Alma and Tey Mariana have
> taken a lot of abuse
> which was totally misplaced.  Threats, name calling
> and other forms of
> intimidation are not what I  consider to be
> Christian practices.  I was
> present at both meetings held regarding the exhibit
> and I saw that the
> protestors against Our Lady, at the first meeting,
> were not above
> committing violence in order to get their way.  The
> possibility of violence
> was very  real.  There did not seem to be any
> concern for the safety of the
> children, elderly and others present.  Alma and Tey,
> who were not permitted
> to speak although several male protesters were,
> feared for their lives upon
> leaving the meeting place.  Both women have been
> very brave in how they
> have handled the abuse heaped upon them.  At times
> the abuse was based on
> misinformation, lack of information, plain ignorance
> or soley on the fact
> that Alma Lopez is lesbian.  The abuse became
> personal and the issue of
> freedom of artistic expression and  the role of
> museums in communities got
> lost.   A small number of the protestors took
> advantage of the controversy
> to get their "fifteen minutes of fame."  They
> peformed for the cameras, the
> reporters and for anyone who spoke with them.  And
> in the case of one
> artist/protestor who gave his credentials to
> validate his views on what is
> art and to criticize Alma's work, his movidas were
> highly suspect.
> Certainly the media, especially the newspapers,
> played a role in exploiting
> Alma's work and not until letters to the editors
> started to point out this
> fact did they stop using the art piece in their
> reports. Just this last
> weekend one of the television stations reporting on
> the fact that no
> recommendation was forthcoming from the museum
> showed Our Lady, with the
> camera taking a close up starting from the bottom
> up.  The camera moved
> slowly as if caressing the image.  These reports
> also contributed to the
> abuse suffered by both women.  Charges that Tey
> Mariana was not sensitive
> to the community or that she was inexperienced are
> groundless. She has long
> family roots in New Mexico and is very much aware of
> Hispano traditions.
> Tey has worked at the Smithsonian and as is known
> not many Chicanas or
> Chicanos get the opportunities to work in such an
> environment. Finally,
> this controversy was instigated by a very small
> number of persons in
> positions to impose their views on specific segments
> of el pueblo hispano y
> catolico.  Censorship was the cover for the social,
> cultural and political
> issues that are impacting the Hispano community in
> Santa Fe in view of the
> changes that the city is experiencing.    Teresa M.
>
>
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