Spring Break
Student's photography center of controversy
Michael Gagne
Issue date: 4/22/03 Section: Campus
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But some viewers just can't get past the sight of an erect penis.
"I've had people literally gasp for breath when they see it," co-curator Kirk Snow said.
Students and faculty members from the Music Department across the hall have complained that concertgoers, who include young children, will find the display's portrayed act offensive.
It's controversial, in part, because the image of a nude male is not as widely accepted as that of a nude female, and this is because Christian Caucasian males have dominated American society, Johnson said. "It is a nude," he said, "and you can't see a nude as a beautiful thing."
"It's not a feminist point-of-view," Ganim said. "It's a fact."
But the penis isn't the only reason. Some viewers simply lack the patience to consider its artistic value, Johnson said.
"A lot of people don't have the patience to analyze what's in front of them," he said.
The gay lifestyle is generally tolerated but still not really accepted, Johnson said. He sought to educate viewers through the work. "Education is sharing knowledge to each other," he said, "to share other people."
Johnson's work is just one piece in a series of about three dozen student works displayed in an exhibit that opened to counter the Annual Juried Student Exhibit in the Fine Arts Main Gallery. The curators felt the Juried Exhibit didn't accurately represent the work produced by art students, and asked for space to freely exhibit.
"[The display] merely exhibits what we've been working on," Johnson said.
Space Invasion will continue for another couple of weeks until May 9.
"I've had people literally gasp for breath when they see it," co-curator Kirk Snow said.
Students and faculty members from the Music Department across the hall have complained that concertgoers, who include young children, will find the display's portrayed act offensive.
It's controversial, in part, because the image of a nude male is not as widely accepted as that of a nude female, and this is because Christian Caucasian males have dominated American society, Johnson said. "It is a nude," he said, "and you can't see a nude as a beautiful thing."
"It's not a feminist point-of-view," Ganim said. "It's a fact."
But the penis isn't the only reason. Some viewers simply lack the patience to consider its artistic value, Johnson said.
"A lot of people don't have the patience to analyze what's in front of them," he said.
The gay lifestyle is generally tolerated but still not really accepted, Johnson said. He sought to educate viewers through the work. "Education is sharing knowledge to each other," he said, "to share other people."
Johnson's work is just one piece in a series of about three dozen student works displayed in an exhibit that opened to counter the Annual Juried Student Exhibit in the Fine Arts Main Gallery. The curators felt the Juried Exhibit didn't accurately represent the work produced by art students, and asked for space to freely exhibit.
"[The display] merely exhibits what we've been working on," Johnson said.
Space Invasion will continue for another couple of weeks until May 9.
