Virgin Mary sculpture controversy continues

A display of student artwork last semester has become the catalyst for an on-going discussion at the University about freedom of speech in artwork.

Christine Enedy (senior-visual arts), at the request of a campus priest, removed her sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary emerging from a bloody vagina. Since that time she has been trying to avoid publicity about the incident while local Catholics search for a University policy change in order to protect religious items from public desecration.

"If some kind of (University) policy was put together, we wouldn't have to repeat this," said Father Leo Arnone of the Penn State Catholic Community. "While this is a negative aspect of our own history, we can still learn from it so as not to repeat it."

Jim Stephenson, director of the School of Visual Arts, disagrees with proponents of a policy change. He said the current policy works well and helps foster the educational process.

The School of Visual Arts has a written policy regarding student art displays outside of the classroom, Stephenson said. All students and faculty wishing to display artwork in a public place must first go through a review process.

"But you could imagine what it would be like if everyone with a problem with an art display could build in restrictions to the policy," he said. "Since we are a University, we don't want to restrict the students."

Enedy said her art was a representation of the hardships women in the church face, and that she was just trying to convey a message with no intention of putting down religion or Catholicism.

"It was never an issue of me against the Catholic Church," Enedy said. "I was just trying to portray an image of the oppression of women in the church and the oppression of women in general."

Enedy tried to quell controversy from the start, but the issue reached national attention through a number of Christian newspapers, and was even discussed on CNN's "Crossfire."

Complaints about student art displays are very rare, Stephenson said. However, when someone complains, he said they are always invited to a conference with the professor and the artist.

"I've invited the people to come in and talk, but nobody has ever done it. They just blow off some steam and that's it. I think it would be great to involve someone in the process," he said. "The bottom line is I try to extend the educational process by getting people together."

Public outcry over art displays are a big part of the educational process for an aspiring artist, Stephenson said. A case like this one helps the student learn to deal with the public later in their career, he added.

"I think in this particular case, the student learned a lot and the class learned a lot," he said. "It was a good example of the learning process going on. What the student has learned from this will affect her in the future when she has to make this kind of decision."

Dave Johnson, communications director for the College of Arts and Architecture, said University President Graham Spanier's office has been referring all inquires to the office of the college's dean, Neil Porterfield.

"They feel this is an issue which relates to the College of Arts and Architecture," Johnson said. He explained that the sculpture was reviewed and erected in line with policies in place in the School of Visual Arts of the college.

Porterfield was away from the University this week and unavailable for comment.

Controversy surrounding student art is not new at Penn State. A student art project seems to be the center of controversy every few years, Johnson said.

In November 1992, architecture student Glenn Walker's project was removed from the Visual Arts Building following a complaint that it was offensive. An administrator removed the project after another architecture student signed a written complaint noting the project looked like a female's buttocks. Walker said he was being censored.

Questions surfaced about the University's policy on public art display in the controversy that followed. The administrator who first removed the project quoted a policy that required him to do so, because he had received a written complaint.

Letters poured in to administrators and to The Daily Collegian. One letter to the editor protested the University's lack of written policy by demanding the removal of the Old Main clock tower, the Obelisk and the water tower near North Halls -- saying they all resemble parts of the male and female anatomies and are offensive to look at.

This situation disappeared from the headlines within a few weeks, and no further action was taken by the University.