One of the pieces we looked at this lesson, Richard Serras site specific sculpture Tilted Arc was a lightning rod for controversy from the moment of its installation.Although some people enjoyed the work, others found it a hideous inconvenience that attracted vagrants and graffiti.
Please read the 2 articles attached as pdfs below that describe the controversy and ensuing efforts to have the work removed. Each article has a slightly different take and I think its a good idea to draw from multiple sources.
https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet02-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com/5eb02702ef92f/7672208?X-Blackboard-Expiration=1613779200000&X-Blackboard-Signature=ws5yG0ZBmkqwHusIrXZ%2FuOiGE%2BQ1wL53F6RdlqHmYW4%3D&X-Blackboard-Client-Id=303199&response-cache-control=private%2C%20max-age%3D21600&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27Richard%2520Serra%252C%2520Tilted%2520Arc.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20210219T180000Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=21600&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAZH6WM4PL5SJBSTP6%2F20210219%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=52ccbda85bcee1b55c51ca51b8cfa610e23ee7f34626cead03d3c8df1b1b822f
https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet02-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com/5eb02702ef92f/7672209?X-Blackboard-Expiration=1613779200000&X-Blackboard-Signature=8eOWYS7SqnwSIjtJuCjKgA%2FlT563j9cPobNERktIOho%3D&X-Blackboard-Client-Id=303199&response-cache-control=private%2C%20max-age%3D21600&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27Why%2520Was%2520Richard%2520Serra%2527s%2520Tilted%2520Arc%2520So%2520Controversial%2520%2520.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20210219T180000Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=21600&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAZH6WM4PL5SJBSTP6%2F20210219%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=7fff7a669b56696e8fd03a3e6ae00a64a92e9a5375f69ab0f58c779a820b928a
After reading both articles write an essay of at least 300 words addressing the following points.
1 What was Richard Serras goal with his sculpture and what is meant by his claim that the work was site specific ?
2 Summarize the main objections to the work and indicate whether you agree with the overwhelmingly negative public reaction?
3 What was the eventual outcome of the court case to remove the piece, and what legal basis was instrumental in the decision?
4 Do you think it was the right thing to remove the work or do you think the public was at fault? Why?
