"In the late 1980’s, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s exhibition 'The Perfect Moment' fueled the fire of the so-called 'Culture Wars' that pitted politicians like Senator Jesse Helms and the religious right against artists and museums in a battle over federal arts funding and first amendment rights. When Mapplethorpe’s exhibit opened at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, the museum and its director were brought up on obscenity charges. Twenty-five years later, the museum, through a major exhibit and symposium, is considering the impact of those events on the arts in America.
The city of Cincinnati, Ohio made national headlines on April 7, 1990 with reports of police, protests, and pornography.
Audio of newscast announcer with protesters chanting, peaks at: 'What you’re watching now is the Cincinnati police as they made their move today against the Contemporary Arts Center, spurring a legal showdown over the controversial Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit.'"
Original Article: http://wyso.org/post/cincinnati-explores-mapplethorpe-25-years-after-moment#stream/0