MESA — The city of Mesa has postponed an art exhibition that was scheduled in less than a month because of a piece of art that depicts police brutality.
The art that is brought into question is from a well-known artist by the name of Shepard Fairey.
Fairey is most widely known for his Hope art that was used for former President Barack Obama in 2008.
The piece of art is titled "My Florist is a D***" with the sub caption, “When his day starts, your days end,” as it shows a police officer standing with a baton in hand with a flower at the end of it.
Rob Schultz is the former assistant director of the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum and tells ABC15 that he is surprised by the move.
"Why the reaction, why the over-the-top reaction to say cancel or postpone the exhibition, I don’t get that,” he said. “But, I’m just a retired guy now.”
Schultz said he realizes that the topic of police brutality can be controversial.
“Is it better to talk about it, or is it better to ignore it?” Schultz said. “This artist is expressing an opinion and people can have a civil discourse back and forth about what it means to them or what police brutality means in any community.”
The city of Mesa would not go on camera but released a statement saying that art has a purpose in Mesa.
“As a government organization directly invested in art facilities and public programming, our priority and responsibility are to provide all patrons with enriching experiences in our art spaces – just as we do for all public facilities,” the statement said in part. “There were also questions about the potential impact of text in one of the works that could be disparaging toward some City of Mesa employees. Postponing the exhibit would allow Mesa to review its processes and evaluate the impact of the message associated with the display. Our practice is to review the displays in all our public buildings, and as a tax-payer-funded facility, MCAM shouldn’t be the exception.”
City officials familiar with the decision tell ABC15 that it came down to Fairey's piece and that they don’t want to offend their police officers or their families.
ABC15 received a copy of the public brochure that was released ahead of the Fall 2023 Opening Reception and Season Kickoff and it advertises that Shepard Fairey and other artists would focus on “social causes.” It uses another image from Fairey and calls him a social activist and one of the most influential street artists of our time.
The ABC15 Investigators spoke with city officials familiar with the decision who say that they paid the artist $2,500 to be part of the brochure, but there was no contract signed.
It is unclear why the one piece of art could not be removed, or why the entire exhibition is now postponed for the rest of this year.
Schultz said planning exhibitions like this can take a year or longer to organize as there is a process for artists to submit their art, and contracts are usually signed.
However, a statement from the city of Mesa said that no contracts were signed.
“Six weeks before the opening of the fall exhibits at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum artists' contracts had not yet been finalized," the city said in a statement.
The art museum is closed until September 8, when its kickoff was set to open.
While getting video of the art museum, ABC15 found that on the inside of the building there was a sign by the main desk that reads, “The City of Mesa celebrates the power of art to explore widely divergent perspectives, and wholeheartedly supports artistic freedom of expression. No single point of view in any artistic work represents a position of the City of Mesa. We invite you to consider, learn from and respect all of the ideas and emotions you discover as you experience the work in these galleries.”
In an interview with ABC15, Mesa Assistant Police Chief Ed Wessing was asked about the exhibit being postponed.
“Certainly we support the city manager's decision in this case. I've seen the statement that the city prepare,” he said. “The department has not been asked to weigh on this decision, certainly did not come from us but at the same time we do support the city manager's ability to manage a public display at the Mesa Art Center.”
Schultz, who was with the arts center for more than two decades said this was not a process he was familiar with.
“In this case, I’m not sure how or why images went up to the city manager’s office that never happened during my time that I remember.”
Mesa's full statement regarding the exhibit can be read below:
"Art has a purpose in Mesa. As a government organization directly invested in art facilities and public programming, our priority and responsibility are to provide all patrons with enriching experiences in our art spaces – just as we do for all public facilities. Six weeks before the opening of the fall exhibits at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum artists' contracts had not yet been finalized. There were also questions about the potential impact of text in one of the works that could be disparaging toward some City of Mesa employees. Postponing the exhibit would allow Mesa to review its processes and evaluate the impact of the message associated with the display. Our practice is to review the displays in all our public buildings, and as a tax-payer-funded facility, MCAM shouldn’t be the exception. We recognize the impact of the postponement. The City immediately emailed artists and followed up with telephone calls – when phone numbers were available – to personally inform them of the decision and minimize this inconvenience in any way possible. It is our intent to bring the artists back and reschedule them as part of a group exhibition or solo exhibition in the future if so desired."
