Loveland - October 8, 2010
When the 1st grade Tiger Cubs of Loveland’s Pack 81 visited Loveland’s Museum in downtown two
weeks ago they were in for a big surprise. Loveland’s local history museum has Mariano Medina’s
original settler’s cabin, educational displays of how sugar was processed from beats in Loveland and
many other interactive educational displays targeted for children.
To the horror of the scout leaders, the Loveland Museum/Gallery also included something that one might
expect to find scratched into the surface of a bathroom stall or distributed by a sex-offender to innocent
children but was instead on display as an official exhibit. In other words, no vandal or sex offender was
attempting to corrupt the children; it was the City of Loveland.
A comic-like lithograph in the gallery portion of the museum included pornographic suggestive images of
Jesus Christ, demeaning sexual depictions of Nuns and even drawings of the US Founding Fathers
publishing gay pornography on a printing press.
The display was a 12-panel color lithograph by Colorado printer Bud Shark that included one illustration
by Mexican-American artist Enrique Chagoya titled “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals.”
One Den Mother told LovelandPolitics she even considered buying “the legend of Bud Shark” book
illustrated in cartoon lithographs for her son at the museum before realizing it contained pornographic
images.
The Misadventures of Romantic Cannibals is now making national news as a majority of Loveland’s
City Council refuse to deliberate over the issue in public and one Montana woman was arrested for
vandalizing the exhibit on Thursday following days of public protests in front of the museum.
According to the city’s official website, “Loveland city officials stress that the safety of the public,
museum volunteers and staff remains the city’s foremost priority.”
The issue of the exhibit was raised during a Loveland City Council study session on September 28 and
again during public testimony before the council on October 5, 2010. Mayor Gutierrez along with
councilors Joan Shaffer, Larry Heckle, Carol Johnson and Kent Solt refused to allow the issue to
come before council for deliberation despite the fact it has become national news and created protests
outside the museum.
Mayor Gutierrez used the word “process” repeatedly during an October 28 study session when
Councilman Daryle Klassen requested the item be placed on the council’s October 5, agenda. Mayor
Gutierrez told Klassen he would not direct staff to place the item on the agenda unless he heard from at
least four members of the council that they wanted to discuss the item.
Councilwoman Joan Shaffer reported to her colleagues that Loveland’s Cultural Services Committee had
met already on the matter and determined the exhibit was appropriate for Loveland’s Museum/Gallery.
Councilwoman Donna Rice commented the exhibit is on display in a Museum/Gallery frequented by
children on trips sponsored by their schools. Shaffer interrupted Rice by saying the parents have
discretion but was reminded by Rice this isn’t the case for school trips. Rice supported Klassen’s request
that the council place the matter on their next meeting agenda for discussion and possible direction to
remove the offending exhibit.
Mayor Gutierrez commented he had been to the museum several times but never saw the offending
images. Klassen responded that he didn’t believe the fact the display is inconspicuous or difficult to spot
seemingly makes it right. The Mayor responded quickly, “I didn’t say that.’
Tempers flared when Klassen was interrupted by Shaffer, “Joan when you hear things you don’t want to
hear you are very interruptive.” Shaffer responded saying, “Excuse me Daryle, I had you interrupt me
and you have called me on every interruption and I hear you loud and clear.”
Shaffer argued she saw value in the exhibit and said she would not support placing the issue on a council
agenda for future discussion. Shaffer repeatedly told her colleagues that only one person had complained
and that was an insufficient number for her to consider placing the item on the agenda. One week later
when over 100 detractors showed at the council meeting to protest the exhibit Shaffer did not change her
position.
Shaffer later stated, “I don’t think it is helpful to bring a lot of inflammatory language to this process. I
don’t think the work is at all pornography or smut because a primary definition of that is that there is a
titillating effect and I don’t get that…..I don’t find that piece titillating at all.”
During the October 5, council meeting members of the public spoke both against and in favor of the
exhibit. Susan Ison, Loveland’s cultural services director, was reported to have recruited a number of
speakers in favor of the exhibit using city resources.
Those speaking against the exhibit cited Loveland City Code and the definition of pornography which
makes it illegal to display such in a public place. Loveland City Attorney informed the council and police
that in his professional opinion the exhibit display is not in violation of the city code. This despite the fact
the artist himself has described parts of the “art” as including what he called “Mexican pornography.”
No word yet on when and if a new copy of the exhibit will be put back on display for visitors of
Loveland’s Museum/Gallery.
When the 1st grade Tiger Cubs of Loveland’s Pack 81 visited Loveland’s Museum in downtown two
weeks ago they were in for a big surprise. Loveland’s local history museum has Mariano Medina’s
original settler’s cabin, educational displays of how sugar was processed from beats in Loveland and
many other interactive educational displays targeted for children.
To the horror of the scout leaders, the Loveland Museum/Gallery also included something that one might
expect to find scratched into the surface of a bathroom stall or distributed by a sex-offender to innocent
children but was instead on display as an official exhibit. In other words, no vandal or sex offender was
attempting to corrupt the children; it was the City of Loveland.
A comic-like lithograph in the gallery portion of the museum included pornographic suggestive images of
Jesus Christ, demeaning sexual depictions of Nuns and even drawings of the US Founding Fathers
publishing gay pornography on a printing press.
The display was a 12-panel color lithograph by Colorado printer Bud Shark that included one illustration
by Mexican-American artist Enrique Chagoya titled “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals.”
One Den Mother told LovelandPolitics she even considered buying “the legend of Bud Shark” book
illustrated in cartoon lithographs for her son at the museum before realizing it contained pornographic
images.
The Misadventures of Romantic Cannibals is now making national news as a majority of Loveland’s
City Council refuse to deliberate over the issue in public and one Montana woman was arrested for
vandalizing the exhibit on Thursday following days of public protests in front of the museum.
According to the city’s official website, “Loveland city officials stress that the safety of the public,
museum volunteers and staff remains the city’s foremost priority.”
The issue of the exhibit was raised during a Loveland City Council study session on September 28 and
again during public testimony before the council on October 5, 2010. Mayor Gutierrez along with
councilors Joan Shaffer, Larry Heckle, Carol Johnson and Kent Solt refused to allow the issue to
come before council for deliberation despite the fact it has become national news and created protests
outside the museum.
Mayor Gutierrez used the word “process” repeatedly during an October 28 study session when
Councilman Daryle Klassen requested the item be placed on the council’s October 5, agenda. Mayor
Gutierrez told Klassen he would not direct staff to place the item on the agenda unless he heard from at
least four members of the council that they wanted to discuss the item.
Councilwoman Joan Shaffer reported to her colleagues that Loveland’s Cultural Services Committee had
met already on the matter and determined the exhibit was appropriate for Loveland’s Museum/Gallery.
Councilwoman Donna Rice commented the exhibit is on display in a Museum/Gallery frequented by
children on trips sponsored by their schools. Shaffer interrupted Rice by saying the parents have
discretion but was reminded by Rice this isn’t the case for school trips. Rice supported Klassen’s request
that the council place the matter on their next meeting agenda for discussion and possible direction to
remove the offending exhibit.
Mayor Gutierrez commented he had been to the museum several times but never saw the offending
images. Klassen responded that he didn’t believe the fact the display is inconspicuous or difficult to spot
seemingly makes it right. The Mayor responded quickly, “I didn’t say that.’
Tempers flared when Klassen was interrupted by Shaffer, “Joan when you hear things you don’t want to
hear you are very interruptive.” Shaffer responded saying, “Excuse me Daryle, I had you interrupt me
and you have called me on every interruption and I hear you loud and clear.”
Shaffer argued she saw value in the exhibit and said she would not support placing the issue on a council
agenda for future discussion. Shaffer repeatedly told her colleagues that only one person had complained
and that was an insufficient number for her to consider placing the item on the agenda. One week later
when over 100 detractors showed at the council meeting to protest the exhibit Shaffer did not change her
position.
Shaffer later stated, “I don’t think it is helpful to bring a lot of inflammatory language to this process. I
don’t think the work is at all pornography or smut because a primary definition of that is that there is a
titillating effect and I don’t get that…..I don’t find that piece titillating at all.”
During the October 5, council meeting members of the public spoke both against and in favor of the
exhibit. Susan Ison, Loveland’s cultural services director, was reported to have recruited a number of
speakers in favor of the exhibit using city resources.
Those speaking against the exhibit cited Loveland City Code and the definition of pornography which
makes it illegal to display such in a public place. Loveland City Attorney informed the council and police
that in his professional opinion the exhibit display is not in violation of the city code. This despite the fact
the artist himself has described parts of the “art” as including what he called “Mexican pornography.”
No word yet on when and if a new copy of the exhibit will be put back on display for visitors of
Loveland’s Museum/Gallery.
| Are Council Members Unwilling to Remove Pornography From Museum? |
State sponsored 'art' projects to promote the defamation, condemnation and isolation of certain religious minorities was used by Nazi propagandist Goebbels before and during WWII. The government of Adolf Hitler in pre-WWII Germany facilitated their campaign to isolate and discredit Jews by paying artists to create cartoon-like lithographs of Jews to socialize the acceptance of bigotry and discrimination against that religious minority in Germany. Enrique Chagoya, the 'artist' responsible for the demeaning lithographs of Christ and Catholic clergy promoted by the City of Loveland in the Loveland Museum, uses 'art' to promote attacks on Catholics in an effort to humiliate and isolate those who believe in Church teachings and the Holy Bible. Chagoya has described his own work as "pornographic" while he also hasn't been shy about voicing his own brand of anti-Catholic bigotry. It is inconceivable that responsible city officials would display and sell Neo-Nazi anti-Jewish propaganda or allow the KKK to display humiliating and demeaning pictures of ethnic minorities in the community to advance maybe a racist's agenda to discredit people simply on the basis of their skin color or religious affiliation. It is not likely Loveland's 'Avant-garde' art community would tolerate such hate speech 'art' either. How the same officials and artists can than condone open bigotry of Catholics and Christians in general would make an interesting thesis for a political science student at CSU. Has the disdain by the political Left in this country of Christians risen to such a level and become so socially acceptable that now governments are endorsing it? |
| Loveland children have been exposed to lewd sexually oriented cartoons involving images of Christ and others in the Loveland Museum/Gallery |