The Sci Fi Catholic Yak Module
Based on my experience at a Catholic University you file this sort of activity as "dialog" in the Academic Freedom section of the University policy manual. Whereas promoting a traditional understanding of morality you file under hate speech.
Miguel
"Could it be, then, that genuinely talented artists are now taking refuge in commercial art?"
I spent a few years in art school, and with no false modesty, I am a very mediocre fine artist. But I didn't start thinking about changing majors until the day I was told during class that I should consider becoming a commercial illustrator as I was "too skilled" to be an artist.
I am not an artist per se, although I dabble in music a bit. I also spent a summer in musical theatre sewing costumes and engineering the lighting effects in the costumes. Also have a few friends and acquaintences in the arts. I understand that it is a very difficult field to make enough bucks to pay the rent, and that often you have to go "commercial" per se in order to pay the bills. That is why it astounds me that an individual who produces genuinally offensive pieces of artwork would get any kind of financial support to continue his/her work. I could see maybe a self-funded gallery or exhibit, as personal art is indeed a way of expressing one's self. However public exhibits of blatently offensive works will discredit the artist in no time, unless he is independently wealthy. Artist do need to keep in mind that it is the wealthy and professionals in their communities who donate funds to keep them going. We had a conversation the one summer I worked in summer theatre where the costume designers were bad mouthing the lawyers and engineers and accountants and other professionals and thought we were geeks and nerds and couldn't fully appreciate the beauty of the musical..I steped right in and said "Be nice to us...us geeks/nerds are the ones contributing sizeable amounts of cash to sponsor your little summer theatre... " and sure enough...due to diminishing contributions the summer theatre had to fold just a couple of years back....
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