HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/21/2020 Item 15, Marx (2)
Purrington, Teresa
From:Jan Marx <janmarx@stanfordalumni.org>
Sent:Monday, January 20, 2020 8:33 AM
To:Harmon, Heidi; Christianson, Carlyn; Gomez, Aaron; Pease, Andy; Stewart, Erica A
Cc:Purrington, Teresa; Dietrick, Christine; Johnson, Derek
Subject:Re: People and Public Art
Attachments:Womens-Rights-Pioneers-Monument-4-2-e1571766695771.jpg
Please ignore the image on my last email. This is the right image.
Jan
On Mon, Jan 20, 2020 at 8:31 AM Jan Marx <janmarx@stanfordalumni.org> wrote:
Dean City Council,
Here is an article regarding the statue of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth (photo
attached) which is scheduled to be installed in NY City's Central Park this year commemorating the centennial of
women winning the right to vote. Public art depicting real human beings has the capacity to educate and inspire and
should not be prohibited by the City of San Luis Obispo. I urge you , once again, to respect the First Amendment's
guarantee of freedom of expression and reject the proposal banning depiction of real people in public art in our city.
Jan Marx 265 Albert Drive San Luis Obispo
https://qz.com/1732974/new-york-citys-central-park-will-get-its-first-statue-of-women/
On Sun, Jan 19, 2020 at 11:16 AM Jan Marx <janmarx@stanfordalumni.org> wrote:
For the City to censor the content of public art by prohibiting depiction of real living or deceased human beings would
be bad public policy, and likely unconstitutional. I urge the Council to leave the present policy in place and consider
public art on a case by case basis. The attached photo statute of Einstein on the Cal Poly campus is an example of
how art honoring the memory of an extraordinary human being can teach and inspire, and also invite interaction
with the public. This statue in Washington DC honoring the suffragists is another example of public art that educates
and inspires. If you do not want a statue of Teddy Roosevelt in Mitchell Park, vote it down. But do not allow your
poor opinion of one man to serve as an excuse to engage in wholesale censorship of public art. The City of San Luis
Obispo deserves better.
Jan Howell Marx, 265 Albert Drive San Luis Obispo
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