Kent State University in Ohio is facing backlash over an art display that strongly suggested President Trump should be assassinated.
The giant art exhibit featured a gruesome image of President Trump’s severed head on a spike. The display also included the words, “we only have to get lucky once.”
At first the university defended the artist and said putting President Trump’s head on a spike is protected under freedom of expression.
But once the artwork was shared on social media the university immediately had a change of heart – as did the artist. Kent State says the severed head of Trump was removed voluntarily.
Kent State president Todd Diacon admitted that the display depicted violence against elected officials. And he said such displays were problematic. But he did not apologize nor did he condemn the display.
Immediately upon learning of the display on Wednesday evening, the university installed a screen to limit access so that only those wishing to see the artwork would encounter it. On Thursday, the art student voluntarily removed the display, and we appreciate the student’s decision to do so.
These brief events sparked a heavy response on both ends of the spectrum – first from those who oppose any restriction on the right to free speech and then from many individuals who expressed their outrage after seeing violent imagery. Among these responses have been threats of violence.
At Kent State, we uphold the right to free speech as it is granted in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and reiterated in the Ohio Revised Code, Section 3345.0215. However, as we state clearly and often, we continue our work as a university to guide free speech within our Kent State values of kindness and respect. We are glad we reached a constructive outcome.
Depictions of political violence are especially problematic for Kent State. We know from our history what happens when polarized viewpoints intersect with violence. We have addressed what took place this past week. We regret that some purveyors of information on social media chose not to update their coverage when the art was voluntarily removed and thus contributed to a confused account of what took place.
To reiterate: The artwork was removed voluntarily and quickly.
We are grateful for the decision of the student artist given the sensitivities of the history of violence on our campus, and we are glad to have resolved this matter in a manner in keeping with the weight of our history and within our values.
The concerns here are numerous. Chief among them is the fact the university president cannot outright condemn the violent art work.
There have been two attempts on President Trump’s life and it’s incredibly disturbing to know that some students at Kent State are hoping for a third.
In recent days, considerable social media attention has been paid to a display of student art produced in a class within our Bachelor of Fine Arts program. The work depicted violence toward elected officials and in no way reflected the point of view of Kent State.