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Clinton carried California, a state that is now giving him special
protection. The California State Fair has banned the exhibition
of an award-winning sculpture about Bill Clinton and one of his
employees.
The work, made
entirely of recycled materials, and without any government money,
shows Bill Clinton lying in repose in a bathtub, accompanied by
Monica Lewinsky, who once toiled as an intern in the White House.
She was apparently a hard worker who performed tasks above and below
the call of duty for her boss, the 42nd President of the United
States. The sculpture, titled "Loose Lips Sink Ships,"
is by Peter Langenbach, a middle-school art teacher in the Bay Area.
He entered "Loose Lips" at the Napa County Fair, in upscale
wine country, and came away with a best-in-show award. More laurels
were to follow. The California State Fair, a huge event in the capital,
Sacramento, gave the sculpture its first-place award for three-dimensional
sculptures. But then, a week before the Fair kicked off, officials
banned "Loose Lips."
Brian May, an assistant general manager, explained to reporters
that "the exhibit could be offensive to some people and inappropriate
for young children." No fewer than five representatives of
the Fair ruled "Loose Lips" unfit for exhibition, particularly
because of "the location of Monica Lewinsky to the overall
position of the president." In this, the sculptor was simply
striving for verisimilitude, giving the work educational value.
During the
actual events of the recent presidency, many complained it was difficult
to explain the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal to students. Now art imitates
life. This sculpture shows how even someone with the mindset of
an 18-year-old, can become president. As for the material being
"offensive," it hardly holds a monopoly.
As the sculptor pointed out, "people were offended by the situation
— the actual event." So it makes perfect sense that a work
of art based on the event would be offensive. The State Fair itself,
with its noise, traffic, and drunks, is offensive to many people.
So are songs that win Grammy awards, and films that win Oscars.
Whenever a
banning like this takes place, or anyone objects to a publicly funded
work satirizing Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary, the chattering
classes proclaim that the purpose of art is to shock us, make us
think. But had the California State Fair banned an award-winning
satirical work about Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, members of
the "art community," would have protested the Fair for
censorship. But the Sacramento art establishment uttered not a peep
and, aside from one short news piece the media passed on the story.
The sculptor, curiously, is not pressing the case but he does have
other avenues.
Mr. Langenbach
could donate his educational, award-winning work to a museum. Or,
he could apply for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts,
and take "Loose Lips Sink Ships" on a national tour.
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