San Francisco Art Institute Suspends Animal Snuff Video Exhibit, Public Discussion 3/31

[Guest guest]

***Kudos to all those who wrote protesting this: you made an impact:

 

San Francisco Art Institute Suspends Animal Snuff Video Exhibit

 

Public forum scheduled for Monday, March 31st to open up dialogue

 

Yesterday, IDA (In Defense of Animals) sent an alert to our members

about a contemporary " art " exhibit entitled " Don't Trust Me "

consisting of six televisions displaying video images of six

different animals -- a doe, a goat, a horse, an ox, a pig, and a

sheep -- being bludgeoned to death with a large sledgehammer. The

alert asked concerned people to contact the president of the San

Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), the installation's sponsor, urging

him to shut it down immediately on the grounds that animal abuse is

not art, but merely a cruel and self-serving bid for attention.

 

As a result of the overwhelming response from IDA members, SFAI

announced this morning that they have suspended the exhibit at the

Walter and McBean Galleries, at least temporarily. The Institute will

hold a public forum on Monday, March 31st at SFAI's campus to hear

criticism of the work. Controversial " artist " Adel Abdessemed will

not be present, but the school's Dean of Academic Affairs, two art

professors, and the exhibit's curator will be. Thank you to everyone

who helped make this happen by urging SFAI to remove the

installation, and forwarding our alert to people around the country.

 

IDA founder and president Dr. Elliot Katz commended SFAI for

discontinuing the exhibit, and for holding the public forum. " The

Institute's initial defense that the animals were going to be killed

anyway sends a terrible message, not only to the public, but to the

next generation of artists, " he noted. " Their official response was

at first rather inflexible and defensive. I am pleased that now they

are at least willing to hear the public's concerns relating to the

ethical and moral ramifications of this exploitive and cruel exhibit. "

 

- If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, please attend the public

forum and respectfully express your opinion on this exhibit in

person. This is a great opportunity to let people know that it is

wrong to hurt or kill animals for " art, " and to expand the argument:

If they found the images of death disturbing, they should realize

that all animals killed for meat suffer terribly, and that going

vegan is an ethical choice that saves lives.

 

What: Public forum to discuss art and ethics, and whether killing

animals can ever be considered " art. "

When: Monday, March 31st at noon

Where: San Francisco Art Institute Main Campus (in the lecture hall),

800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco

 

- If you cannot attend the public forum, please Take Action* to

reaffirm your desire to see this exhibit closed down once and for

all, and to urge SFAI to implement a policy explicitly prohibiting

exhibits for which animals were intentionally exploited or killed.

 

* Take action:

- http://ga0.org/campaign/sfai2/napmxnew6?

 

This notice:

- http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/notice-description.tcl?

newsletter_id=13109878