Temecula nude portrait artist requests apology for removal
“I’ve been painting for 20 years. This is not a hobby for me. I work at this full time. I have never considered myself a controversial artist."
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Temecula resident and artist Jeff Hebron arrived a full hour before the art exhibit was scheduled to open on Jan. 22 at The Merc at Old Town Temecula Community Theater.
Hebron had originally submitted three pieces to a juried panel for exhibition back in early December. He was thrilled to learn that his oil portrait – one that he describes as a fantasy painting – of a nude woman was accepted for the January show.
He had invited nearly a dozen friends and family to join him and was excited at the prospect of sharing his work with residents of Temecula.
“I got there early that day,” Hebron said, explaining that as he arrived to hang the piece, he was told that the nude portrait had been removed from the exhibit.
“It came as a shock. I didn’t know who wanted (the painting) down or why. I was just told that the City Manager removed it (from the exhibit),” Hebron said, noting that exhibit chairwoman, Sissi Hale, extended her sympathy to Hebron.
“I talked to her and she told me she was fighting for me on it before (the decision was made to take the painting down). But, (the city) asked her to remove it,” Hebron said.
Now Hebron is asking for an apology and explanation.
Herman Parker, director of community services, said Thursday the city would have no comment on the controversy. On Wednesday, he said the controversy was news to officials and that they would be looking into the matter.
Hale said Wednesday that she took responsibility and felt she was obeying family-friendly guidelines.
In a statement released by email on Thursday, Hale said in part:
“The Visual Expressions 2010 show was a collaboration of 3 entities (Sissi Hale, The Artists and The City of Temecula). I take full responsibility for the selection of artwork curated into this show. Although this exhibit was a huge triumph for the arts in Temecula, it has come with controversy over issues of censorship. During the selection of the artwork I felt I was operating within the guidelines of the show’s prospectus. I felt I never strayed from the non-explicit/family friendly guidelines. I want to make clear that I am NOT the person who pulled the painting. I curated it in.”
The removal of the painting has raised the ire of an anti-censorship organization, which contends the work was removed because it depicts a nude woman.
In a letter to Temecula City Manager Shawn Nelson, the National Coalition Against Censorship said the removal of Temecula artist Jeff Hebron’s painting from The Merc “raises serious First Amendment concerns. We urge the City to apologize for removing Mr. Hebron’s work and to draft exhibition policies that are consistent with First Amendment principles.”
“I’ve been painting for 20 years. This is not a hobby for me. I work at this full time. I have never considered myself a controversial artist,” Hebron said by phone, noting that he has shown his work in other Temecula venues without any problem.
The oil painting, which depicts a nude woman with her back to the artist showing the left side of her body, including most of her breast and buttocks, was shown at exhibition at Comic Con in 2008, Hebron said.
“I don’t consider (the painting) vulgar. It’s sad and disappointing that people have to go elsewhere, to bigger cities like San Diego or Los Angeles to go and see art,” Hebron said. “We shouldn’t have to do that.”
View a full copy of the letter and the portrait.
View more of Jeff Hebron’s artwork
Original Story: Temecula criticized for removal of nude artwork
Kerri S. Mabee can be reached at ksmabee.swrnn@gmail.com with comments or questions. Follow me on Twitter at SWRNNaelife.Te,
Tags: censorship, city manager Shawn Nelson, Comic-Con, First Amendment, Herman Parker, Jeff Hebron, Kerri S. Mabee, National Coalition against Censorship, nude painting, Old Town Temecula, removal of nude portrait, Sissi Hale, SWRNN, Temecula, The Merc, Visual Expressions 2010
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- Honest to God
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Comment by: Jennifer J. Posted: February 18, 2010, 3:32 pm
Family Friendly guidelines? I doubt it. Sounds like censorship to me. And clearly the NCAC feels the same. When kids go to the Smithsonian Institution, the Louvre, or the San Diego Museum of Art for that matter – do they wear blinders through every room? This is so stupid. I feel for the artist, for Ms. Hale who seems caught in the middle of a fight she does not want to be in, and for the people of Temecula who may as well be living in the bible belt.
Comment by: mark Posted: February 18, 2010, 8:33 pm
tHAT’S A nude…..woman? I doubt a 9 year old would see that. Wait. Do 9 year olds go to art exhibits. What’s that sound? The clock turned back 100 years.
Comment by: tina Posted: February 18, 2010, 9:13 pm
this is a beautiful piece of artwork. graceful, and very sinuous. only a dirty mind would object.
Comment by: joseph Posted: February 19, 2010, 1:03 pm
The Merc building is a lobby for the Community Theater, not an “art gallery”. They allow different groups to hang art there, but that doesn’t qualify as being the kind of gallery alluded to in these comments. Because it’s the lobby which sells tickets for all the theater performances including many of those for children, it seems as though it needs to hold different standards than those a real art gallery would. I suspect if the Merc was not what it is (a ticket booth) and was a real art gallery, there would have been no need to make any judgement call. I think that maybe one should consider that this “City-owned venue” is a THEATER, and not a “City-owned art gallery”. There’s a big difference there, and organizers who are given the privilege of putting on an art show need to take the responsibility of being sensitive to that fact rather than make the city look like the bad guy.
Comment by: Jeff the artist in question Posted: February 19, 2010, 5:43 pm
I am the artist this happened to and all I will say is thank you for those who appreciate the piece and understand I brought this up because of the fact that the ‘city’ as you call it isn’t to ‘blame’ as ‘joseph’ put it yet no-one has stepped forward and admitted they were the one that removed the piece or why –based on the other pieces at the show I am still –aghast, confused dumbfounded….=completely clueless as to the reasoning or logic behind the removal of my piece given i paid to be in the show and everyone loved it! Also I have shown this to the public before –a little venue called San-Diego Comic-Con International (the biggest art and fantasy convention in the world) in 2008 and it was NOT considered vulgar or offensive –So based on this I felt it was necessary to exercise my rights of self expression…simple. And the ‘city’ as you call it, is 99.9% composed of taxpayers like me who elect officials to represent them and a poll taken by the Californian showed 83% of people supported my piece and the 1st amendment…but maybe those were just the people that read???
Comment by: Temecula officials remain mum about removal of nude portrait from The Merc Posted: February 19, 2010, 6:59 pm
[...] Stories: Temecula artist requests apology over artwork removal; Temecula officials criticized for [...]
Comment by: Sissi Hale Posted: February 20, 2010, 8:03 am
“As the curator of Visual Expressions 2010, I take full responsibility for the selection of artwork curated into this show. Although this exhibit was a huge triumph for the arts in Temecula, it has come with controversy over issues of censorship.
During the selection of the artwork I felt I was operating within the guidelines of the show’s prospectus. I felt I never strayed from the non-explicit/family friendly guidelines and I believed the piece in question fell within those guidelines.
I want to make clear that I am NOT the person who pulled the painting. I am the person who supported this piece and curated it in.
I support art in all its forms and expressions and as an artist, curator and individual I despise censorship.”
This was my full declaration.
Thank you,
Sissi Hale
Comment by: anotherview Posted: February 20, 2010, 10:59 am
Thank goodness the news media continue to follow this matter, to reveal the ins-and-outs of the removal of this oil painting of a nude female done in the abstract. Perhaps in the process the reading public will learn the precise chain of command leading to its removal, including the origin of the complaint and the complaining party. At present, one could fairly say nobody has fully described this contretemps. But one may certainly detect a petty official mentality sensitive to the Philistine outlook and its demands.
Comment by: Randy Posted: February 21, 2010, 5:37 pm
This was not just unfair. It was illegal.
Even the fact that the show was a juried show and was on public property may have been illegal.
A case in Arizona a city was required to use a non juried criteria for a privately run art fair on public land (acceptance by lottery rather than a jury)
and was also required to make free space available nearby for those who could not afford the booth fees.
Also
In WHITE V CITY OF SPARKS (05-15582)
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the city acted unconstitutionally by standing in judgement of what whether or not a painting was art.
The city wan enjoind against requiring license, permit or fees from the artist and was required to allow art sales in the park
THIS IS GROUNDS FOR A SUIT.
City of Temecula, please recognize the first amendment and spell it out in city code. It is mentioned, but needs stronger language and clearer specifics.
And an apology too…
Comment by: artist Posted: February 22, 2010, 2:36 am
@ Joseph.
Yes Joseph, we should be *very* grateful that the ONLY space a community of 200.000 has to display art and hold regional juried shows is a PG lobby.
Geez, thanks Temecula, you rock! Thanks for the lobby!
Comment by: Mike Posted: February 22, 2010, 10:42 am
When an amendment is violated, it dishonors the 4 million men & women who have died defending our Constitutional Right’s over the last two hundred plus year’s and the millions of veteran’s and law enforcement personell, who took the oath to protect them.
The shame here, is not in the art or the artist!! A written, public apology, IS in order!
Comment by: Temecula artists speak out about city actions Posted: February 23, 2010, 7:57 pm
[...] Jan. 22 has found herself in the middle of a political firestorm that resulted from the removal of artist Jeff Hebron’s nude painting from the [...]
Comment by: Temecula: No written policy needed to decide which art works will be shown at city run venues Posted: April 20, 2010, 1:01 pm
[...] decision comes after a vigorous debate in the arts community over the removal of a nude painting by Temecula artist Jeff Hebron from the 2010 Visual Expressions exhibit held on Jan. 22 at The Merc in Old Town Temecula, igniting [...]
Comment by: Interested in moving to Temecula area - San Bernardino and Riverside Counties - California (CA) -The Inland Empire - Page 2 - City-Data Forum Posted: June 6, 2010, 5:41 pm
[...] yes,come to temecula..this is the right place for you… best example Artist Jeff Hebron.. Temecula nude portrait artist requests apology for removal his work was censored…i saw the painting online,i was thinking,this is a joke,but no..it is [...]