Freedom Of Expression - Our First Amendment Rights Are...

What is art? Can it be defined in any single painting, or sculpture? Is it even something that can be seen, or does it have to be experienced? The term quot;artquot; is so vague that it can be applied to almost anything, really. Mostly, however, art should be that which frees our imagination. It connects our conscious with our subconscious, putting into a visual form what we feel and think. It allows us to explore our inner self and fill that urge to understand our minds and our universe. Art helps us to see beyond the ordinary, to see what is in our hearts without being blinded by reality. When an artist creates a painting, it is not to create a picture; it is to create a feeling or mood. The purpose is to convey an emotion, and, it is†¦show more content†¦At that time, Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, after having viewed the exhibit, threatened to withdraw city financial support to the museum. The Mayor labeled the exhibit quot;sickquot; and quot;offensive to Catholicsquot;, and made no secret that his objections were based on his personal dislike of the contents of the show. He criticized the work of Chris Ofili, specifically a painting called The Holy Virgin Mary, because of its use of elephant dung. Ofili, a British artist of Nigerian descent, uses elephant dung in many of his works as a reference to his African roots. As an observant Catholic himself, he denies that his work is either anti-Catholic or anti-religious. He meant the dung to be a symbol of life and providence, however this simple explanation was not enough to satisfy Guilani. His threats to withdraw funding stood firm. Offili told the New York Times, quot;The people who are attacking this painting are attacking their own interpretation, not mine.quot; Damien Hirst, whose display was also part of the show, said that the mayor quot;may as well say, I only like Picasso and if you dont show it then Im going to cut your funding. Its just pure censorship.quot; He may be right, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art sued the city on September 28th, protesting the mayors threat to freeze millions of dollars in funds. To the relief of museum officials and art lovers across the country, the courts ruled on November 1st in favor of the Brooklyn Museum of Art andShow MoreRelated First Amendment And Music Censorship Essay1284 Words   |  6 Pages The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights exists because the Founders of our country understood the importance of free expression. The First Amendment states Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . (Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution 17). One of the ways the American people use this freedom of speech and expression is through the creation of the art form known as music. Musics verbal expression bonds our societyRead MoreFlag Desecration Essay5209 Words   |  21 Pagesunique symbol for our nation which should be preserved at all costs, while on the other are those who believe that flag burning is a form of free speech and that any legislation designed to prevent this form of expression is contrary to the ideals of the First Amendment to our Constitution. Shawn Eichman, as well as the majority of the United States Supreme Court, is in the latter of these groups. 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