Venus and Ai WeiWei: Nudity in Art

Last spring, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts hosted an exhibition of exquisite Venetian treasures from the National Galleries of Scotland.  The outstanding piece of the collection, 'Venus Rising from the Sea', 'Venus Anadeomene', by Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) was selected to advertise the exhibition throughout the metro area.

One billboard, with Venus in her nude splendor, near our school, was mysteriously  tagged by  night stalkers.  The tagging created a sensation with much laughter and angry controversy with locals and the world!  The photo, with Venus "dressed"  was taken by our school's Art Adventure Chair, Lezlie Pinske, who forwarded it to the Education Dept. at The MIA.  Since then, the photo has gone viral and has been seen and commented on around the world (an example is an article from the LA Times).

My students and the whole Orono School District has been "exposed" to Titian because the billboard sits on the main route to the schools.  So, we addressed it in class.  The key points of the student-led discussion were:
1.  the pros and cons of tagging a billboard -or anything
2.  is tagging art?
3.  is advertising art?
4.  teaching nudity in art;  this is tricky depending on school district's policies;  I choose to discuss it before students visit the art museum on field trips.
5.  society and the buzz about the billboard;  what is the news- the exhibition? or the tagging?
6.  social media:  more people have seen Titian's Venus "dressed" than the way Titian painted her; is this good or wrong?
7.  nudity in art/ pornography; what's the difference?
8.  freedom of expression; what can or should be included/excluded?
9.  who is Ai Weiwei and why is he creating such controversy in China and the world?
10.  should there be government regulation of the arts?

Currently, Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, is under investigation in China for a photograph which the government believes is pornographic. Artists from around the world are becoming involved with this issue. Here's an article from The Guardian.

Ai Weiwei supporters get naked. Photograph: He Yunchang

-Jo-Anne Kirkman