From the Oolite Arts Board of Directors:
You might have read about the recent controversy regarding the removal of artwork from a Walgreens window on Miami Beach. The Oolite Arts Board of Trustees deeply regrets that the removal of Vũ Hoàng Khánh Nguyên’s artwork has offended some in our community, and that its contents offended others in our community. We believe strongly in the right to artistic expression, but the particular phrase highlighted in this piece is perceived by many as a literal call for violence against them.
We want all our stakeholders to know that we are taking this matter seriously, our new interim CEO Maggy Cuesta has met with our staff and resident artists, shared answers to their questions about what happened, why the artwork was removed, and the role of the board in this process. We also want to make clear that the contract between Oolite Arts and Walgreens requires that any art displayed not be controversial, and Oolite Arts respects the terms of that contract.
As an organization that exists for artists, we do wish we had taken more time to have deeper conversations with the artist, our staff and other stakeholders about the work and our decision. To address the concerns raised by the artist and others in the arts community, we are committed to evaluating our decision-making in this matter and to put in place policies so that artists we work with have clear guidelines and expectations.
We hope to conclude our policy review shortly and share recommendations on how to ensure that artists we work with have clear understanding of our exhibition guidelines, as well as recommendations on how to deal with these kinds of issues in the future.
For background, below are links to a Miami Herald story about this matter, as well as a Herald editorial that concurred with our decision to remove this piece from the Walgreens window.