An article from the British online magazine Spiked revealed that a private liberal arts college in Minnesota temporarily closed and censored an art exhibition of a feminist artist after claiming some Muslim students were offended by it.
I wrote at @TheFIREorg about "non-consensual" art at Macalester College, blasphemy, and the foolishness of letting people decide what expression others, not just themselves, should be able to look at. https://t.co/vGaxGX23M2
— Sarah McLaughlin (@sarahemclaugh) February 10, 2023
The exhibition opened at Macalester College in St.Paul last January 27. It featured the works of Taravat Talepasand, a 44-year-old Iranian-American female artist originally hailing from Oregon. Her works often challenged political and religious orthodoxy, criticizing Islamic conservatism and the oppression of women under Islamist regimes.
Some artworks the college claimed to have shocked and offended students' sensibilities include a risqué drawing of a woman in hijab lifting her clothes and showing her underwear and another lifting her niqab to reveal her underwear while raising the middle finger.
The exhibit also featured porcelain sculptures of women in niqabs revealing their breasts. Lastly, Talepasand also featured a neon sign saying “Woman, Life, Freedom” in English and Persian. This slogan has become a symbol of protest against the Islamic Republic after protests broke out last year.
Not pleased with her artworks, some Macalester’s student body members submitted a petition demanding to shut down the exhibition, claiming that Talepasand’s works caused "deep pain" and even “perpetuated harm” against Muslims.
I notice a lot of similarities between the language used by the complaining parties here and those used at Hamline. Unfortunately people are learning that using a particular framing and the right words will allow them to get their way even if it means censoring others.
— Daniel Erdle (@DanielErdle) February 11, 2023
According to the student who started the petition, Ikran Noor, “a lot of it is really proactive and really supportive of the Iranian women’s movement that’s happening,” she insisted that the artwork depicting women wearing niqabs and hijabs should be taken down.
Macalester granted the petition and temporarily covered Talepasand’s artworks in black curtains. The censorship drew criticism, particularly from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which drew attention to the college’s actions.
A Macalester College art exhibit has reopened after it was briefly closed to address concerns expressed by Muslim students. Report by @SahanJournal https://t.co/O6jN0cGxyV
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) February 18, 2023
Administrators at Macalester eventually re-opened the exhibit, albeit with less censorship. The entrance doors were taped up so that people could not see the artwork. Visitors were also shown a content warning of “upsetting or unacceptable images.” A student petition was attached to the doors of the exhibit.
Talepasand criticized the college’s initial decision to cover her artwork with black curtains and the student-made petition posted on the exhibit’s entrance, calling the former “censorship.”
The incident comes when many universities and schools are embroiled in controversies related to Islam and art. One particular incident was when a Hamline University art professor was sacked for showing a painting depicting the Prophet Muhammad during class.
