Confronting Bodies: The Cultural Arts Council of Mendocino County
Date of Action: October 2002
Specific Location: Willits Center For the Arts, Mendocino County, CA
Description of Artwork: Digitally manipulated photo images, which included Dick Cheney, Vice-President of USA, the first President Bush and swastika
Description of Incident: The Cultural Arts Council of Mendocino County invited, by way of newspaper ad, all local artists to display their works at the Willits Center For the Arts with no indication of the criteria of selection. Evan Johnson, a professional photographer, submitted his photographs. However he was told by one of the officers of the Arts Council that his work could not be displayed because of its content, which would upset the County Manager. The city has agreed to meet with the artist to talk about this. In the meantime, the exhibition opened without the photographs of Evan Johnson.
Results of Incident: National Coalition Against Censorship and the First Amendment Project in Oakland, CA sent a letter to The Cultural Arts Council of Mendocino County explaining them the implications of the First Amendment. Following this the photographs were returned to the exhibition.
Source: The First Amendment Project, NCAC