Four University of Cincinnati art students are using an exhibit of profane, racist and sexist bathroom graffiti to raise awareness about attitudes on campus.

        The in-your-face art exhibit, which displays graffiti taken from men's rooms across campus and then duplicated on the gallery walls, has raised objections from some students, faculty and staff.

UC art students (from left) Andre Hyland, Brandon Hickle, Caroline Caldwell and Erin Heitsch. (Craig Ruttle photos) | ZOOM |

        Eric Maclean, a UC senior who viewed the exhibit Thursday, described his experience as eye-opening.

        “Is it offensive? Yes. But it exposes how people are actually thinking inside an institution of higher learning, and that's something people should be aware of,” he said.

        Others who viewed the exhibit but did not want to be identified labeled it “demeaning” and said the subject matter was inherently offensive. Some faculty who e-mailed the Enquirer also objected, but did not want their names used.

        The exhibit, which ends today after a week-long run at UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, displays messages including: “Way to go Bill Cosby, all blacks should boycott. Please leave (racial epithet),” a reference to Mr. Cosby canceling a Cincinnati appearance earlier this year to honor a boycott of the city.

        Another message said KKK is an acronym for “Kill Kracker Konservatives.”

        “The exhibit confronts gallery viewers with these unspoken messages with gut-wrenching effect,” said Judith Smith Koroscik, dean of the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. “The images and words are unquestionably offensive, hostile, and without merit.”

UC freshman Kelly Inkrot views the exhibit in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. | ZOOM |

        But the exhibit itself has value as an educational tool, Ms. Koroscik said.

        “This is a case of students trying their hand at social commentary, an artistic tradition that has deep roots in the history of art,” she said.

        A desk and chairs were placed on the floor of the gallery in which the graffiti were duplicated to underscore the concept that education doesn't preclude bigotry and hatred, said Caroline Caldwell, one of the art students who conceived the project.

        “This is more than just writing on bathroom walls,” Ms. Caldwell said. “This is a dialogue that goes on throughout our campus community.”

        Ms. Caldwell and her collaborators — Erin Heitsch, Brandon Hickle and Andre Hyland, all seniors — said they hoped the project would expose bigotry on campus and spur conversation about deep-seated racial issues, such as those that led to the riots in Cincinnati in April 2001.

        Mission accomplished, according to Charlie Woodman, one of the art professors who approved the exhibit as a class project.

        “Their goal was to make the dialogue public in an effort to increase awareness of and heighten sensitivity to what they deemed an intolerable practice.”

        Over the next few weeks, faculty will lead discussions about the work and the public's reaction to it. The intent is to help students grasp the ramifications of their art.
       

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