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Pepperdine officials modified a sculpture to delete the text.<\/p>\n
Henry Adams\/Pepperdine Graphic<\/span><\/p>\n Last month Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., opened an art exhibit titled \u201cHold My Hand In Yours,\u201d which was scheduled to run for six months in the on-campus Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. But On Oct.\u00a06, the university closed the exhibit after artists learned their work had been removed or altered for being \u201covertly political.\u201d<\/p>\n The exhibition, curated by Weisman Museum director Andrea Gyorody, centered on the imagery of hands in paintings, drawings, sculpture and videos, among other media, with a focus on hands as a means of labor and care, according to the museum\u2019s website.<\/p>\n Last week, one of the artists in the show learned her video had been turned off at the university\u2019s request, and a sculpture had been modified to hide text that said \u201cSave the Children\u201d and \u201cAbolish ICE,\u201d Hyperallergic <\/em>reported. The creators requested their pieces be removed from the museum, and several other contributors followed suit in solidarity with the affected artists and in opposition to the university.<\/p>\n Pepperdine administrators alleged the pieces went against the museum\u2019s policy to \u201cavoid overtly political content consistent with the university\u2019s nonprofit status,\u201d Michael Friel, senior director of communication and public relations at Pepperdine, told Inside Higher Ed <\/em>in an email.<\/p>\n In addition to removing pieces, the university inquired about posting signage that notifies visitors that \u201cthe artwork does not necessarily reflect the views of the university,\u201d Friel noted. \u201cThat process has not been successful.\u201d With the addition of the artists pulling their work, the museum decided to close the gallery. All compensation agreements are being honored and inconvenienced artists have received an apology, according to Friel.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the past week, the administration\u2019s rationale for the initial censorship and removal has been murky and opaque, and honestly, still unclear to me. It didn\u2019t have to be this way,\u201d Stephanie Syjuco, an artist who was featured in the show, wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n The Weisman Museum is housed under the university’s advancement office. \u201cOur intent is to maintain the highest standards of excellence as we celebrate artistic expression through the visual arts,\u201d Friel said.<\/p>\n In 2019, Pepperdine censored a senior art student\u2019s gallery because the art featured nude bodies; officials placed the art in a mobile gallery instead of in the Weisman Museum, which featured work by the artist\u2019s peers. \u00a0<\/p>\n