The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) released a statement on Wednesday denying responsibility for the recent billboards that have stirred controversy in the area.
1819 News reported on Tuesday that several billboards had been spotted in the area featuring an infamous image of Bloody Sunday in Selma, with President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan pasted over the image.
The subsequent reaction led to a specially called board meeting early Wednesday morning that an 1819 News reporter was barred from attending.
SEE ALSO: Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts calls board meeting after MAGA' Bloody Sunday' ad goes viral
The Wednesday statement, released by Jennifer Dobbs with the City of Montgomery's Cultural Affairs Department, claims the board did not approve the billboards and had since taken them down.
"Earlier this month, two billboards featuring the Museum's logo appeared," The statement read. "They juxtaposed a historic photo with a political statement without context. This has caused confusion and concern."
"The decision to place the billboards was made without the approval of Museum leadership or the Joint Boards. Once made aware of the billboards, the MMFA leadership had them immediately removed."
In the statement, the MMFA said the picture featured in the billboard is related to the MMFA exhibition starting in late February: "Selma is Now: Civil Rights Photographs by Spider Martin." The statement did not elucidate why the historical photograph was juxtaposed with a slogan trademarked by Trump leading up to his 2016 presidential run.
The statement goes on to lament the lack of permanent leadership at the MMFA and announce the appointment of a new interim director, likely at the meeting 1819 News was barred from entering.
"The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has been without a permanent Director for almost two years, leading to challenges for the institution. To help restore best practices and avoid similar occurrences, we are pleased to announce the MMFA's Interim Director, Jennifer D. Dobbs."
"Dobbs has extensive non-profit leadership, fundraising, and art museum experience. Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Montgomery, Dobbs will lend her expertise as Interim Director while we finalize a new operating agreement with the City and search for a permanent Director."
The MMFA statement reflects comments by the board of trustees member Austin Barranco, who called into the local radio show Talk 93.1 "News and Views" with Joey Clark. Barranco stated he believed the "MAGA" slogan on the photo robbed it of its historical significance.
"I've actually seen this exhibition at the Chicago Museum of Art," Barranco said. "It's an exhibition by artist Spider Martin, who documented the events in Selma. And, in the context of a museum, is very powerful and moving. And, unfortunately, out of context, on a billboard with the Make America Great Again slogan on it, it can be perceived as very divisive. And I can tell you, too, our board, which is extremely diverse, were all on the same page and in agreement that this was out of place; and that's why we made the decision to immediately remove it."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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