It is with great respect that the University Museum of Contemporary Art presents The Culture of Violence, an exhibition that examines the pervasive manifestations of violence as reflected in contemporary American art and culture. Spanning the last 20 years, the exhibition presents a broad, multicultural view of this disturbingly widespread phenomenon through the work of 25 artists in all media. The Culture of Violence was organized by guest curators Donna Harkavy and Helaine Posner and will be on view at the University Museum of Contemporary Art from February 2 through March 15, and April 2 through May 17, 2002. An opening reception will be held on Friday, February 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. The curators will lead noontime tours of the exhibition on Thursday, February 7 and Friday, February 15.

The subject of violence, always one of the most compelling issues on the minds of Americans, has become painfully relevant since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th. Devastated by terrorist acts committed within our borders, alarmed by mass killings in the schools and at the workplace, and mindful of rampant domestic violence, our consciousness is saturated with violent images. Though we have been chastened by recent events and claim to deplore our fascination with violent themes, we continue to seek them out and reward those who purvey them in current events coverage, the movies, in popular music and in video games.

The Culture of Violence looks at the cultural, social, political and personal aspects of violence in America with the intentions of posing significant questions that encourage dialogue, possibly leading to greater understanding. The exhibition contains a number of thematic categories such as terrorism, hate crimes, youth violence, domestic violence and street crime, among others, which cut across class, color and gender. The strategies and viewpoints of the participating artists reflect this diversity, and affirm the widely held belief that artists are the conscience of the society in which they live.

The Exhibition

The Culture of Violence contains a number of thematic categories ranging from political to personal expressions of violence including terrorism, hate crimes, youth violence, domestic violence and street crime, among others, which cut across class, color and gender. The artists included in this exhibition, their artistic strategies and multiple points of view embody this diversity. They are: Ida Applebroog and Beth B., Mel Chin, Sue Coe, Elizabeth Cohen and Michael Talley, Willie Cole, Lucinda Devlin, Peggy Diggs, Leon Golub, Felix-Gonzalez-Torres, Gregory Green, Sharon Harper, Jane Kaplowitz, Barbara Kruger, Bradley McCallum, Richard Misrach, Bruce Nauman, Kristin Oppenheim, Joel Sternfeld, Danny Tisdale, Andy Warhol, Sue Williams, Marion Wilson and David Wojnarowicz.

Gregory Green offers his perspective on the theme of terrorism. Green's homemade book and suitcase bombs startle us with the realization that virtually anyone has access to the ingredients necessary to fabricate weapons of destruction. Mel Chin and David Wojnarowicz examine hate crimes against minorities such as Asian-Americans and gay men, respectively. Wojnarowicz fought the violence and pain in his life, such as gay bashing and AIDS, with an equally aggressive body of work exposing America's virulent and destructive homophobia. Bradley McCallum focuses on the victims and perpetrators of youth violence. He has worked within communities directly affected by crime and uses his art to begin a healing process. In Shroud: Mother's Voices, 1992, he has included videotaped interviews with the mothers of children killed as a result of gang violence in a New Haven neighborhood. Leon Golub's trenchant street scenes convey the tensions and incubating violence that characterizes the contemporary urban condition. In Daniel Tisdale's Rodney King Police Beating, 1992/2001, these tensions erupt. The artist photographically reproduced this video image of actual brutality nine times, reminding us of its exploitation by the media and recalling the devastation of the Los Angeles riots.

Artists Sue Coe, Richard Misrach, and Sue Williams explore violence against women. Sue Coe depicted a real incident in her painting of a women raped by four men in a bar while twenty people watch and do nothing. Richard Misrach's series of color photographs of Playboy magazines used for target practice, in which images of nude models are riddled with bullet holes conflate society's fascination with sex, violence and the media. Sue Williams' Irresistible, 1992, a heartbreaking sculpture of a woman curled up in the fetal position and marked by the footprints, bruises and insults that have been inflicted on her, makes public the private humiliation and trauma of domestic abuse. Other works to be included in The Culture of Violence are Andy Warhol's early, highly influential Electric Chair, c. 1971; selections from Joel Sternfeld's On This Site: Landscapes in Memoriam, 1993-96, which photographically documents sites across this country where violent incidents have occurred; Felix Gonzalez-Torres' Untitled (Death by Gun),1990, a memorial to actual victims of gun violence; and Barbara Kruger's anti-violence public service announcements of 1996.

The Catalog

The Culture of Violence is accompanied by a fully illustrated, multi-disciplinary publication with contributions by the guest curators, Donna Harkavy and Helaine Posner, two media critics, and a child advocate, as well as an extensive bibliography on the subject. Donna Harkavy discusses the work of several artists in the exhibition who bear witness to violence. Helaine Posner explores the subjects of terrorism and hate crimes through the work of other participating artists. James Cain, Assistant Professor and Henry Jenkins, Professor and Director of Comparative Media Studies at MIT, engage in a conversation about violence and culture in medieval epics and contemporary media. Geoffrey Canada, President of the Rheedlen Center for Children and Families, examines the effects of violence on the lives of children.

The Film Series: At Human Cost

At Human Cost, is a series of both feature and documentary films that portray the emotional and physical struggles which cause or arise from violence. The films focus on the painful consequences of hate, fear, and anger as felt by individuals in their personal lives and close relationships. All screenings will be held at the Amherst College Campus Center Theater. Dates and times are as follows:

Tuesday, February 12 - 7 p.m. In Cold Blood, USA, 1967; bw, 134m Directed by Richard Brooks Shot in a semi-documentary style, the film is an adaptation of Truman Capote's book which traces the real story of two drifters who are ineffectual as individuals, but together become inhuman criminals. They burglarize the home of a wealthy farmer only to find that he keeps an insignificant amount of money on hand. Enraged, they murder him and his entire family. The film creates strong parallels between the terror experienced by the innocent family members and that of the killers while awaiting execution for their crime.

Tuesday, February 19 - 7 p.m. Once Were Warriors, New Zealand,1994; color, 103m Directed by Lee Tamahori Based on Alan Duff's novel, the film recounts the brutal story of a poor Maori family who is becoming increasingly alienated from their culture. The mother of the household is finally driven to stand up to her volatile husband whose physical and psychological abuse she can no longer endure for herself or her children. The film was named Best Foreign Film by the Australian Film Institute and received numerous other awards and nominations for both Rena Owen (leading actress) and this directorial debut of Tamahori.

Tuesday, February 26 - 7 p.m. Rhyme and Reason, USA, 1997; color, 89m Directed by Peter Spirer Geared towards those with little knowledge of hip-hop music and style, the film presents a survey of musical talent and related political and social issues such as ghetto life and gun violence. Includes interviews with Kurtis Blow, Da Brat, Sean 'Puffy' Coombs, Dr. Dre, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, Method Man, and Tupac Shakur among many others.

La Haine (Hate), France, 1995; bw, 97m Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz A hard-hitting drama about three young men of different ethnic origins who live in the projects just outside of Paris. They seek retribution for another friend who was critically wounded by the police during a street riot, and pay an unexpected toll. The film received the César Award for Best Film, and Kassovitz was named Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. In French with English subtitles.

Tuesday, March 5 - 7 p.m. The Brandon Teena Story, USA, 1998; color, 89m Directed by Susan Muska and Gréta Olafsdóttir A documentary about the story of Brandon Teena (a.k.a Teena Brandon), a young woman who felt herself to be male and so assumed a masculine identity. When her true physical gender was discovered, Brandon was brutally raped and eventually killed by two men while she was temporarily living in a small mid-western town. This tale of ignorant prejudice features interviews with those who knew Brandon as well as with her two murderers who are now on death row. The film won Best Documentary honors at both the Berlin and Vancouver International Film Festivals, and was the basis for the feature film Boys Don't Cry.

Monday, March 11 - 7 p.m. The Official Story, Argentina, 1985; color, 112m Directed by Luis Puenza Married to a businessman with close connections to the government, a wealthy woman lives a life which is sheltered from the political turmoil in Argentina. She begins to suspect that the child whom she and her husband adopted may be the daughter of a couple killed because of the repressive tactics of the military regime in power. The film, which was Puenza's directorial debut, won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Norma Aleandro (leading actress) received the award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Monday, April 1 - 7 p.m. The Crying Game, UK,1992; color, 112m Directed by Neil Jordan A complicated thriller about an IRA volunteer named Fergus who befriends a British soldier being held hostage only to become involved later with the soldier's lover. Fergus attempts to return to civilian life, but is sought out by his former compatriots who force him to participate in the assassination of a government official. The film received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as well as many other nominations and awards for Jordan, Stephen Rea (leading actor), and Miranda Richardson (supporting actress).

Monday, April 8 - 7 p.m. The Anderson Platoon, France (English version), 1967; bw, 64m Directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer A chronicle of daily life for an army combat platoon operating in the central highlands of Vietnam. Schoendoerffer, a veteran of the Indochina war, had his crew shoot over a period of six weeks in an attempt to offer no side or opinion but that "of the soldier." The film received an Academy Award for Best Foreign Documentary.

Interviews with My Lai Veterans, USA, 1970; color, 22m Directed by Joseph Strick On March 16, 1968 more than 100 civilians were massacred in the Vietnamese village of My Lai by U.S. troops under the command of Lt. William L. Calley. Five of the soldiers who participated in this tragic event are interviewed and candidly talk about their experiences that day and subsequent public perception. The film received an Academy Award for Best Documentary/Short Subject.

Kim's Story: The Road from Vietnam, USA, 1996; color, 48m Directed by Shelley Saywell During the Vietnam war, a picture was taken of a little girl running naked down a road, screaming in agony from napalm burns that seared her skin. The horrific poignancy of the photograph instantly became a symbol of that war while the girl, whose name is Kim Phuc, miraculously survived the injuries sustained from the attack in June, 1972. In the film, Phuc, now living in Canada with her husband and child, talks about the past that devastated her and her country, and discusses the problems she faced in the intervening years.

Monday, April 15 - 7 p.m. A Time for Drunken Horses, Iran, 2000; color, 80m Directed by Bahman Ghobadi With unsentimental compassion, the film reveals the plight of the oppressed Kurd minority through the story of a close-knit family of five orphans who struggle not only for daily subsistence, but desperately seek special medical care for their severely handicapped brother. The rugged, mountainous landscapes are effectively used by the director to define the characters' courage to survive because of the love that they have for one another. The film, which was made in the area where Ghobadi grew up, received the Cannes Camera d'Or for Best First Film. In Kurdish and Farsi with English subtitles.

At Human Cost is sponsored by the Mead Art Museum, Amherst College. The University Museum of Contemporary Art would like to thank Jill Meredith, Director, and Donna Abelli, Business Manager for their generosity and assistance.

Educational Programs

The project hopes to advance community dialogue about this critical topic. A public symposium on violence will be held in mid-March. Curricular materials geared to junior and senior high school levels will be available in February, and in-service teacher training is offered for PDP or academic credit under the direction of Martha Taunton, Association Professor of Art Education, Department of Art. The exhibition will also be on view at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida, Gainesville from mid-January to mid-April, 2003.

Support for The Culture of Violence has been provided by the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, the LEF Foundation, the Dorsky Foundation, an anonymous donor and the UMass Arts Council.

The University Museum of Contemporary Art , located on the lower level of the Fine Arts Center, is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. The Gallery is also open to audiences for evening performances held in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Center. For further information, please call (413) 545-3670 or visit the Gallery's web site at http://www.fineartscenter.com/universitygallery.

Image caption: Jane Kaplowitz, Taxi Driver #1, 1998, oil stick and pencil on acrylic on paper, 50 x 38 inches.