ART @ Art on the Net
Subject to Censorship

    This exhibition exists because of Art.net's involvement in the battle against Internet censorship. Its purpose is to educate and exhibit some of the work of member artists who would be affected by laws censoring the Internet.

    Censorship is insidious.
    Often it is presented in a guise which everyone would agree is a good thing, such as "protecting children from harm." None of us here at Art.net believe that children should be harmed, quite the contrary; however, this is a task best performed by parents, and not by government. One family's protection may be another's harm. In a country as diverse as the United States to assume otherwise is folly.
    Once we begin to set standards in public discourse whose purpose is to "protect children," that discourse also lowers itself to a level appropriate for children, eliminating the ability of adults to discuss, think, and act as adults.

 

 

Blue Ribbon Campaign ALERT!
 
The First Amendment to the
United States Constitution states:

Article 1.
    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[Declared in force, 15 December 1791]


Visit ART ON THE NET's statement about Free Speech.

 

    Over the last several years the Congress of the United States and a number of individual states have considered legislation designed to "protect minors" from the supposedly harmful effects of the Internet. One of the prime targets of these laws is what the framers of these laws regard as pornographic materials; however, the ways that these laws are written, any depiction of nudity and any discussion of sexuality, whether for artistic, political, or informational purposes, would become a felony and punished with both harsh fines and jail time.
    While some people may believe that the First Ammendment only applies to "political speech," what these people fail to realize is that all "speech" is political when it says something which is subject to censure, or to put it simply, anything subject to censure is political, and is protected as "speech" because of its political nature. Art which is subject to censure is thus considered political speech in addition to its qualities as Art.

    This gallery was established to give you an idea of the range of Art affected by these laws.

    It is black because of the continued pressure that censorship makes on all our lives.


       Arabella Decker  |  visit this artist's studio

FASCISM: UP FROM THE MIRE COMMUNISM: HOG TIED DEMOCRACY: WHITE BREAD TROPHY


       Diane Fenster  |  visit this artist's studio

WE TOOK THE TRAIN TOGETHER FROM MY APARTMENT TWO RUNNING RAILS OF MERCURY JOHNNY COME LATELY I DREAMED OF A DARKSKINNED WOMAN I COULDN'T STAY IN MIAMI


       Katherine Klein  |  visit this artist's studio

THE DIVER


       Lile Elam  |  visit this artist's studio

WOMAN WOMAN-LANDSCAPE THE ROLLIN GOLDEN HILLS OF CALIFORNIA

THE ROLLIN GOLDEN HILLS OF CALIFORNIA THE ROLLIN GOLDEN HILLS OF CALIFORNIA


THE CHILLING EFFECT

The self-censorship of otherwise responsible adults out of fear of government prosecution for their conduct, beliefs, actions, or words.


 

       Mario Madriz  |  visit this artist's studio

CLAUST VENUS CARNE CIGUAN



       Rebecca Alzofon  |  visit this artist's studio

one of TWO ALMOST FINISHED PAINTNIGS SPRITE (animation) study for EXTINGUISHING DESTINY ALLEGORICAL PAINTING CLOSET D


 

Blue Ribbon Campaign ALERT!
The Universal Declaration
of Human Rights states:

Article 19.
    Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

[declaration made in 1948]



 

       Robinson Tuon  |  visit this artist's studio

INDIGENOUS VENUS MARY MAGDALEN THE BRIDE OF THE HILL ORPHEU


       Saelon Renkes  |  visit this artist's studio

BODY IMAGE 1 BODY IMAGE 2 BODY IMAGE 3


       Tom Coffin  |  visit this artist's studio

PSYCHO*DAVE



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