Center for the Arts in Society

Fire in My Belly: Art, Censorship & Controversy

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

4:30 pm, Adamson Wing (Baker Hall 136)

Late last year, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery removed David Wojnarowicz’s film “Fire in My Belly” from its “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture” exhibit after Christian groups complained about a clip showing ants crawling on a crucifix. The removal triggered a national controversy. A public screening of the film will be followed by a panel on the implications of its removal, and far-reaching questions relating to art, censorship and controversy. Panelists will include Jonathan Katz, co-curator of “Hide/Seek” and Chair of the Visual Studies Doctoral Program at SUNY; Richard Howells, Reader in Cultural and Creative Industries at King’s College London; David Dombrosky, Executive Director of CMU’s Center for Arts Management and Technology; and Andreea Deciu Ritivoi, associate professor of English at CMU.

The event is co-sponsored by CMU’s Center for the Arts in Society, School of Art, Master of Arts Management Program and CFA Dean’s Office.