A University of Central Oklahoma art instructor has claimed some of his works on display in the state Capitol this summer were censored.
Photographer Narciso Argüelles said two of his pieces (above and below) for the "Human Landscapes" exhibit, showing in the North Gallery through Sept. 2, were taken down because they were deemed too political.
The Oklahoma Arts Council curates the Capitol exhibits. Ann Dee Lee, council public information director, did not comment for this story.
REMOVAL
One of the pieces, "I Am Here, but Where Am I?" (below) was removed June 28, the day it was hung, before the showing officially began July 2, according to the artist. The work is a photograph of a page from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Training Manual, printed on fabric (the source material for the piece is pictured).
Argüelles said the second piece, "Sign," remained on display past the exhibit's July 5 opening reception, until, he believed, July 10. The photograph is of a "caution" sign found in Southern California, warning motorists people may cross the roadway (pictured).
Argüelles said there was a push to take the work down earlier, but he argued the sign is government-issued, not an image he invented. -Emily Jerman
okgnews Commentary: Censoring Oklahoma artists
Read more in the Sept. 5 edition of Oklahoma Gazette.
