The artist group responsible for the controversial billboards featuring the slogan "Make America Great Again" over a scene of Selma's Bloody Sunday recently condemned the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) for removing the signs, calling it a "clear act of censorship."
The photo appeared on at least one billboard observed by 1819 News, but other reports state identical billboards were scattered throughout the county, all featuring the MMFA name pasted at the bottom along with the activist group For Freedoms.
According to its website: "For Freedoms is an artist-led organization that centers art as a catalyst for creative civic engagement, discourse, and direct action. Founded in 2016 by a coalition of artists, including Hank Willis Thomas, Eric Gottesman, Michelle Woo, and Wyatt Gallery, For Freedoms is dedicated to fostering an environment of listening, healing, and justice through a wide range of creative activations. For Freedoms works closely with a variety of artists, organizations, institutions, and brands to expand what participation in a democracy looks like and reshape conversations about politics."
The MMFA has yet to say who approved the billboards, only that the MMFA board did not authorize the decision. After 1819 News broke the first story on the billboards, the MMFA board swiftly removed them. Subsequently, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center applauded the decision to remove the artwork, saying the modern-day political juxtaposition of Donald Trump's famous slogan on civil rights history denigrated the movement.
In a statement to ARTnews, For Freedoms co-founder Eric Gottesman bemoaned the billboards' removal, saying the "work" was designed to "spark conversation, reflection and deeper thinking."
"We are dismayed but not surprised by the removal of this artwork," Gottesman told ARTnews. "This clear act of censorship underscores the urgency of For Freedoms' mission to promote free speech and creative expression. One of our missions is to be visionary, not reactionary. This work was created nine years ago, in collaboration with artist Spider Martin, and juxtaposes his historic image with a political slogan that we hope will spark conversation, reflection and deeper thinking."
He continued, "We can disagree and dislike what others say but still support their rights to express it. Part of what makes America great is the freedom to express ourselves, we see this censorship as antithetical to this core freedom and to our mission as an organization."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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