Meeting on Controversial Salem State Art Exhibit Set for Tuesday

SALEM, MA — The future of a controversial art exhibit at Salem State University's Winfisky gallery could be decided Tuesday, as students and faculty will sit down to discuss a myriad of options pertaining to the gallery's future.

On Nov. 22, the university's Art + Design department had moved to temporarily shut down the "State of the Union" exhibit following significant backlash on social media and a discussion between students and faculty regarding the exhibit, which contained a painting that depicted members of the Ku Klux Clan. In an email to the Salem State community following the Nov. 21 meeting, Art + Design Chair Mary Melilli and Winfisky Gallery curator Ken Reker apologized to students who have "experienced distress resulting from the exhibit."

"We would like to apologize to those in the campus community who have experienced distress resulting from this exhibit," the e-mail read."We are sorry. (Nov. 21's) conversation made clear the strong emotions this exhibit has caused."

The Salem News reports that a meeting to discuss the future of the exhibit originally scheduled for Monday has been moved to Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. The report further indicates that the meeting is not open to the press or the public.

Many students and members of the public took to social media to voice concerns of the exhibit.

The e-mail further indicated that the university was made aware of students' objections on Nov. 16, and later invited students to a discussion with the gallery curator and the artist on Nov. 21. Approximately 50 students attended the meeting, where the curator announced to temporarily close the exhibit. The exhibit was set to run from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14, according to the Salem News.

According to the Salem State website, the exhibition was an open call to work addressing the concerns following the recent presidential election. The painting depicting members of the Ku Klux Klan was done by Garry Harley, a painter from Lowell. Multiple reports indicated that students objected to content in several of the paintings.

Gallery officials said in the email in the community that it "understand that not displaying the context in close proximity to the artwork" contributed to the strong community reaction. The glass doors of the gallery were covered and a warning was posted warning that the exhibit contained art that "may be upsetting to some viewers."

"Art is often intended to spark discussion about societal ills. In this case, it did just that, but we deeply regret the distress it has caused students," the e-mail read."We thank the students for sharing their views, and we look forward to working with them to determine how to move forward."

Image via Salem State University.