Saturday 24 March 2012

Maine Dictatorship 3

Since last year I've been intrigued by the dictatorial decision of Maine Governor Paul LePage to remove Judy Taylor's mural from the Department of Labor building in Augusta and hide it in a secret location (CLICK). On Friday, Federal Judge John Woodcock upheld the Maine Dictatorship and to hell with the Berne Convention on artists' rights (title link). This is the same judge who found in favour of Dictator LePage in April 2011 (CLICK). He seems to have been promoted since then. The graphic shows Jessica Graham in the Department of Labor building's lobby in Augusta on 25 March 2011 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the New York Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which killed 146 garment workers. Dictator LePage had the mural removed later that same month! (Title link for full photo.)

2 Comments:

At 24/3/12, Anonymous Amanda Fickett said...

Actually, LePage had the mural removed just a few days after this photo was taken (I'm the one standing just behind Jessica). It's a disappointing (alright, infuriating) verdict. However, there have been some really interesting public art responses to the mural's removal-- and ultimately, the controversy has made it arguably one of the most well known pieces of contemporary art in the world.

 
At 24/3/12, Blogger Unknown said...

Hi, Amanda

Thanks very much for your update. I've been following this saga for a year now and you're right: it has becaome a world-famous mural. It deserves to be on permanent display. I'm sure it would bring more tourists to Maine if it were.

You need a new judge, a new governor and a lawyer who knows about the Berne Convention on artists' rights. This story sounds like something from Russia, not the USA. The only consolation is that it will probably lose the Republicans a good few votes.

My best wishes for the campaign.

 

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