Restraining order hopes to force LePage to replace mural

[Maine-ah]

Source: BDN

PORTLAND, Maine – Attorneys hoping to restore a labor themed mural to a state office building on Friday filed a request for a temporary restraining order designed to force Gov. Paul LePage to return the artwork to its original place in the Department of Labor.

The plaintiffs also ask the U.S. District Court to order LePage and the other defendants to reveal the location of the mural that was removed from the Maine Department of Labor’s lobby on March 26, and to ensure the mural is in good condition and is protected, according to a release from the attorneys involved in the case.

The original complaint, filed last week, alleges that the governor’s removal of the mural denied plaintiffs their First Amendment right to view the mural.

The mural, by Maine artist Judy Taylor, was commissioned in 2007 by the administration of previous Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat, and mounted in the state building the next year. Among the scenes it depicts are a 1986 paper mill strike; the fictional World War II icon Rosie the Riveter at work in a shipyard; and Frances Perkins, an early 20th century U.S. labor secretary whose parents were from Maine.

Read more: http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/04/08/politics/restraining-order-hopes-to-force-lepage-to-replace-mural/

[Drale]

1. I wonder how long before the mural

"accidentally" gets lost or destroyed?

[AndyTiedye]

4. They Probably Busted It Up When They Took It Down

and it's either in a dumpster somewhere, or in some very damp, moldy cellar.

[Maine-ah]

5. supposedly

it's still in the department of labor building at an undisclosed location....so, yeah, probably a damp, moldy cellar.

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. Prolly :^( I fail to see why the location has to be undisclosed, unless they did something wrong.

[Kingofalldems]

2. K and R all Pro Union threads

[Downwinder]

3. K & R Rosie was a war heroine.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I want the mural back , but I also want a reason to impeach this son of a gun. And I'm hoping that

the Feds wanting a reimbursement for the grant that paid for the mural will get more people spanking LePage in the LTTEs of the state papers.

[karnac]

8. Say he is forced to replace the mural with another one

And he does it to HIS liking instead. That was his complaint afterall.

One that is mostly pro-business.

Art is art.

[abqmufc]

9. After this battle how about we address these murals in D.C...

These are murals inside the Ariel Rios Buidling, in Washington D.C. This is the building which houses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. You can see how the Federal Government addressed the issue via the first link, they put up an info board in front of the mural as a temporary fix as they took public comments on a final action.

To say most Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal citizens find these murals offensive is putting it mildly. I had to walk by these murals often when meeting with EPA personnel regarding Tribal environmental issues and cried a little bit each time.


“Dangers of the Mail”, painted in 1937 by Frank Mechau

More pictures of the Ariel Rios Building Murals:
http://64.38.12.138/docs/epamuralshq.pdf


Here is the most recent decision. GSA, Treatment for the Ariel Rios Building Murals.
Treatment:
GSA will design and build a new screen to be placed at the Dangers of the Mail mural by Frank Mechau. The new screen will mask the mural from individuals passing through the lobby who do not wish to view the mural, while at the same time providing for a viewing experience for those who choose to view the mural. The screen will also incorporate revised interpretative materials to address the history of the art and the controversy associated with the mural. A comprehensive interpretive program will also be developed for all 22 murals in the building.
The consulting parties and others will be invited to participate on an advisory panel for the development of an appropriate screen for Dangers of the Mail mural and the interpretative materials for all 22 murals.

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/102798


A screen, really? That is the appropriate solution? I think a couple gallons of white paint and paint right over it is the best solution.

[bongbong]

10. They could leave it up...

And then put another same-sized picture right next to it with an allegorical painting & numerical details about the hundreds of thousands of Native Americans who were murdered by Europeans. Something like "For each European being killed in Mechaus's painting, 78,443 Native Americans were butchered in the n-th case of widespread genocide by Europeans in North America."

[AlbertCat]

11. “Dangers of the Mail”, painted in 1937 by Frank Mechau

So, were 19th century mail carriers not attacked by native americans?