Tuesday, April 24, 2007

"This is an art school. For them to censor art ... is unacceptable." (UPDATED)

So says Lori Marcus, the lawyer for Joshua Stulman, the former Penn State graduate student whose art exhibit "Portraits of Terror" was canceled last year by the university. He's now filed a lawsuit against the school (as well as Director of the School of Visual Arts Charles Garoian, art professor Robert Yarber, and President Graham Spanier). The Penn State Daily Collegian summarizes:

"In April 2006, Garoian canceled a scheduled showing of Stulman's 10-piece exhibit, which was sponsored by Penn State Hillel and featured images of conflict in Palestinian territories. According to the lawsuit, Garoian said the exhibit violated Penn State's Policy AD42: Statement on Nondiscrimination and Harassment, and did not promote 'cultural diversity' or 'opportunities for democratic dialogue.'"

According to the article, the suit seeks an order requiring that Penn State now host the canceled exhibit and pay all costs of shipping, and also seeks money damages against Garoian for defamation (he apparently said the exhibit was nothing more than a "billboard for Hillel's political agenda," and that Stulman himself was simply a "megaphone").

Lawprof David Bernstein was all over this when it was happening last year.

UPDATE: Via Eugene Volokh, here's the complaint in the lawsuit.