“New law proposed in response to exhibition: It would criminalise those who harm animals when making art”

Sounds like a logical proposition, right? Not when such a law is based on an artwork that was created to bring attention to the slaughter animals face—not because of the artist, but farmers. As The Art Newspaper reported, Algerian-French Adel Abdessemed made a video installation to demonstrate the killing of farm animals, which raised legislators’ attention when it was shown at the San Francisco Art Institute. The Institute closed the show after receiving death threats from animal rights extremists. “The SFAI says that Abdessemed was documenting traditional methods of food production in Mexico and that no gratuitous violence took place to make the videos,” the paper reported. It seems to me that Abdessemed was taping something that would have occurred with or without his presence, and in the same vile manner, and he wanted the public to know what otherwise would have been hidden from them. Is that not the essence of a documentary?

And then the law proposal emerges. What does this pending law tell us? Not that killing animals is wrong. No. The person who brought such a horror to the public attention (yet again, since we never seem to get the hint) is being silenced while those who write death threats against their own kind are rewarded.

Abdessemed is someone fighting for social causes, for the good of man—and animal—kind, using art as his platform. Would attempts be made to silence a journalist in the same way? In all likelihood, a journalist would have been rewarded for bringing this issue to public attention. Perhaps the farm where the documentary was filmed would be fined, suspended, or even shut down completely. If Abdessemed was a journalist, rather than an artist.

Maybe that’s a strong statement. Either way, the Institute should have stood its ground, perhaps requesting protection from the government. Instead, the government’s response was completely backwards, and such thoughtless acts against artists should not be tolerated. Neither should the slaughter of animals—so maybe the headline should have read, “New law proposed in response to exhibition: It would criminalize those who harm animals” Period.

Click here to read the original article that caused such outrage.

This Monday instead of going into the office I am on the golf course in Connecticut. It took this change of my usual Monday venue to appreachate the beauty found in everyday things.

Instead of the usual car horns and street music I hear from the office I have been spending the day talking to old friends and hearing the nature sounds around the golf.

Look for exciting changes at alpha.artcatchr.com this week as we push sponsered content from the Obama camp!

American artist Herb Williams has been announced as the winner of the 2008 Next Star Artist competition, the global search for the visual artist with the highest potential for success in the art market. The winner of the competition was chosen by a panel of fifteen judges that consisted of influential people from various sectors of the art world.

Herb Williams is a Nashville, Tennessee based sculptor whose innovative use of crayons to construct highly tactile and engaging sculptures are impressive to say the least and attracted plenty of attention from the Next Star Artist judges. According to his website (www.herbwilliamsart.com), Williams is the “only individual in the world with an account with Crayola”. As the winner of the competition, Williams will receive an amazing promotion and PR package that includes, amongst other things, a solo online exhibition, an online media blitz, and three months of mentoring, advice and promotion by art consultant and art market analyst Nicholas Forrest.

“The reason that I created the Next Star Artist competition is that I come across so many fantastic artists who either do not have the skills to promote themselves or are just not in a position to take advantage of the promotional opportunities that are available. I would like to congratulate Herb Williams for winning the first Next Star Artist competition and would also like to thank all the artist’s who entered the competition and wish them all the best of luck in their future endeavors” Nicholas Forrest (founder of Next Star Artist competition)

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For more information visit the Next Star Website or email Nicholas Forrest