"Joy Garnett, program associate for the National
Coalition Against Censorship, said the school had other options than
taking the art down. It could have provided more context around the
exhibit, such as temporary dividers to conceal the art and signs
cautioning visitors on the difficult subject matter. After the exhibit
closed, Baldwin did hold listening sessions, but only students and
faculty were allowed to attend, according to school spokeswoman Liesel
Crosier. The sessions, argued Jonathan Friedman, project director for
campus free speech at PEN America, a nonprofit devoted to defending
freedom of speech, “would have likely been much richer if the exhibit
were able to continue.”
Garnett also found fault with the artists, who she said need to understand the communities where they are showing their work. More than half of Baldwin’s residential students are not white. “It’s not about avoiding offending people,” Garnett said. “It’s about how do you couch the offense in a way that’s productive.”
