September 18, 2000

Contact: Melissa Norris (804) 924-4254 / mln4n@virginia.edu

U.VA. LIBRARY PRESENTS “CENSORED: WIELDING THE RED PEN” -- LATEST EXHIBITION IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Pornography, profanity, sexist and racist materials -- should these things be censored? If so, then what about free speech, the Bill of Rights, and artistic expression?

Most people have some thing or some idea that they think is too dangerous or offensive to be made widely available to the public. “Where do you draw the line in the sand?” asks Melinda Baumann, curator of the exhibition, “Censored: Wielding the Red Pen,” showing September 29 through January 13 in the McGregor Room of Alderman Library at the University of Virginia.

“Censored: Wielding the Red Pen” explores this complex question. The exhibition addresses censorship of children’s and adult literature, film, art, music, science, correspondence to and from soldiers during wartime, and more. It presents some of the justifications for censoring as well as reactions of those censored.

Censorship can take many forms and mediums. “Books, films, music, artwork, and even ideas and speech can be banned, suppressed, altered, bleeped, blackened, cut, and burned,” said Baumann. “A writer or artist may be imprisoned, fined, fired, or silenced.” To witness the various forms of censorship, visitors to the exhibition can read censored works, listen to censored music, and watch censored film clips.

Some of the highlights of the exhibition include:

• Walt Whitman’s personal copy of his 1855 book of poetry, Leaves of Grass. Whitman lost his job with the U.S. Government when his supervisor found the annotated book among his possessions. The book was deemed obscene and too sensual due to its frank portrayal of sexuality with obvious homoerotic overtones. Leaves of Grass was legally banned in Boston in the 1880s and libraries throughout the country refused to buy it.

• The Diderot Encyclopédie, thought to be one of the most brilliant literary enterprises of the 18^th century, was heavily censored by its editors who did not agree with Diderot’s (and other contributors’) articles about science, religion, and other topics. The publisher was forbidden to sell or to distribute the encyclopedia. The Diderot Encyclopédie is a 35-volume compilation of learning that takes its name from the philosopher Denis Diderot and was considered radical for its time. The set belonging to U.Va. contains an additional volume with over 300 original proof pages of articles with corrections in the hand of Denis Diderot.

• Popular children’s literature often receives the greatest amount of scrutiny and is the most challenged form of literature. Some items on display are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Stupids Have a Ball by Harry Allard.

• Music has the power to greatly affect people and thus is often censored. In the 1950s, Elvis scandalized America with his hip-shaking sexuality. When he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, the cameras did not show him from the waist down. In the 1980s, rap music became phenomenally popular and the subject of controversy. Certain artists are thought to incite violence against police, women, and society. Also in the exhibition will be music banned by the Nazis before and during World War II.

Curator Melinda Baumann is a reference librarian in Alderman Library. "As an information professional, I have strong feelings about the issue of censorship, and have created an exhibit that asks the audience to determine their thoughts and feelings on the subject as well,” said Baumann. “Often it seems wrong to suppress materials; but some situations are not so straightforward. By posing questions to the audience throughout the exhibit I hope to make the experience both interesting and stimulating."

“Censored: Wielding the Red Pen” is opening in conjunction with the American Library Association's (ALA) annual Banned Books Week, which runs September 23-30 and aims to educate the public about banned and challenged books. For more information, visit ALA’s Banned Books Week Web site at www.ala.org/news/announcements/bbw2000.html

Visit the exhibition at the University of Virginia Library Monday through Thursday from 9:00am to 9:00pm and Friday and Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. For more information, visit the Censored Web site at: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/censored or call (804) 924-4966.

###