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----------------------------Original message----------------------------
ARLIS/NA Headquarters
1550 South Coast Highway, Suite 201,
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
ARLIS/NA supports The Brooklyn Museum of Art
For immediate release
Tuesday, October 12, 1999
Laguna Beach, CA-- In response to New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's
recent condemnation of the exhibition Sensation: Young British Artists from
the Saatchi Collection and threat to withhold city funding for the Brooklyn
Museum of Art. On behalf of the Executive Board, the Art Libraries Society
of North America issued the following statement today:
"The Art Libraries Society of North America strongly supports the Brooklyn
Museum of Art's decision to open the exhibition Sensation: Young British
Artists from the Saatchi Collection in the face of efforts by Mayor Giuliani
to block this exhibition and censor the work of individual artists.
The Mayor has withheld city funds from the museum because he finds some of
the works on display objectionable, despite the fact that the exhibition was
approved well in advance and with full disclosure of its potentially
controversial subject matter.
ARLIS/NA joins with other national and international art and library
associations in commending the museum's commitment to the First Amendment
rights to freedom expression and that of individuals to draw their own
conclusions about the artwork on display."
****
On September 22nd New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani threatened to
withhold $7 million a year in operating expenses from the Brooklyn Museum of
Art should the exhibit open. The mayor has stated he finds some to the
artworks offensive and insulting to religion. This could severely hamper the
museum's operation which has a $23 million budget. According to a recent NY
Times report, another $20 million is in the city's budget for capital
improvements on its second largest museum.
On September 28th the Museum filed a lawsuit in Federal court accusing Mayor
Giuliani of violating the First Amendment by threatening to withdraw city
funds from the museum. The museum's effort to bar the city from withholding
its financing is pending.
On October 2nd the controversial exhibit opened with 9,200 people touring
the first day, according to an Associated Press article.
According to a NY Times article, Sensation: Young British Artists From the
Saatchi Collection, "...opened to raves and criticism at the Royal Academy
of Arts in London two years ago. Featuring the work of young artists whose
works are displayed in museums around the world, the show is intended to
disturb, perturb and provoke thought."
The Art Libraries Society of North America was founded in 1972 at the
initiative of Judith Hoffberg by a group of art librarians attending the
American Library Association annual conference in Chicago. This group
realized that to fulfill the need among art librarians for better
communication and cooperation, and to provide a forum for ideas, projects,
and programs, an entirely new and separate organization was required.
Today, ARLIS/NA is a growing, dynamic organization promoting the interests
of nearly 1,500 members. The membership includes architecture and art
librarians, visual resources professionals, artists, curators, educators,
publishers, and others interested in visual arts information. To serve this
diverse constituency, the Society provides a wide range of programs and
services.
For more information on ARLIS/NA contact the headquarters at (800) 892-7547
or visit www.arlisna.org.
###
Cindy Percival
ARLIS/NA
Associate Director
1550 South Coast Highway, Suite 201
Laguna Beach, California 92651
Phone: (800) 892-7547, ext. 268
Fax: (949) 376-3456
ARLIS/NA Web Site: http://www.arlisna.org