Carroll, Mary Cate Paintings
- Artist/Author/Producer: Mary Cate Carroll
- Confronting Bodies: Mary Washington College and its Art
Department
- Dates of action: October 1983
- Location:
Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, VA
- Description of the Art Work
- The painting, American Liberty Upside Down... this is a work
depicting an American family scene -- a man and a woman sitting on a
couch, and a child on the mother's lap. But the child is depicted only
in red dotted outline. In the middle of the child I built an actual door
which the view can open if you open the door you will see the actual
remains preserved in formaldehyude of a saline abortion-- a small
greenish male fetus/child curled up head down in a real jar. The artwork
was censored by the art department of Mary Washington College and removed
from an already hung show to which I was invited before the actual
opening.
- Description of incident
- I was invited by my Alma Mater to participate in an art show of six
alumnae of Mary Washington College. I was told in writing to bring
whatever I wanted to show up to six pieces. I brought a series of
paintings which I call the American Liberty Series. Two days after I
hung the show and before the opening the college called and said there
was a problem with two of the paintings and that they had debated whether
to remove both and finally decided that the one "American Liberty Upside
Down" would have to be removed and I was to come forwith and remove it
from the campus. I challenged them on this but they insisted. I called
the school and local newspaper. The case escalated into a little
national brouhaha when writer/activist, Nat Hentoff, championed my cause
in articles in the Village Voice, The Washington Post, and the Los
Angeles Times. A detailed description of my case can be found in Nat
Hentoff's 1993 book, "Free Speech for Me but Not for Thee". It should be
noted that the censorship of this artwork was not covered by any Art
Periodical or any Art Critic because I believe the Art world while
decrying censorship regularly censors the work of what they deem the
politically incorrect. It was after all the Art Department that did the
initial censorship.
- Results of incident
- Two year court battle. I sued college. We settled out of court.
The college showed the piece two years later. I became persona
non grata in the "art world."
Source: My own experience. Mary Cate Carroll (Finksburg, MD)
record no: s42