What Some Adults Don’t Get About Art…

I am getting quite fed up with the seemingly endless cycle of art being censored and/or attacked by misguided partisans and puritans. It is even more distressing when the work of art is made by a student who intended to provide an uplifting and unifying message within a school. It seems that nearly every single controversy surrounding artworks in educational settings comes down to one common factor: ignorance about art.

Art is a way of expressing the diversity of human experiences through the use of representational narratives and more abstract signs and symbols. Symbols have multiple meanings and just because they might seem sinister or allude to something in one particular culture does not mean that the meaning is universal in other cultures. As a Jew, I abhor the bold red and sharp geometric lines of the Nazi Swastika, a symbol that represents fascist Euro-centrist ideologies and the devastation of my culture and heritage. However, as an art historian, I am aware of the history of the symbol and its multicultural origins. The Nazis appropriated their swastika image from South Asian culture where it is still used today. The prior version of the symbol, which signifies auspicious well-being and prosperity, is the antithesis of the Nazi’s rendition.

When we learn how to properly view and discuss art, we understand that content and context matters. We have to be both careful observers and critical thinkers to truly comprehend all the aesthetic and symbolic qualities within a work of art, as well as the intent of the artist and its cultural ramifications. While there is an extensive history of art being associated with propaganda (the aforementioned Nazi party is rife with examples), but not every piece of art is a political dog whistle.

After viewing the latest art-related controversy stirring up the ire of (largely) conservative and zealous factions, I am certain that the symbols and visual narratives depicted in the painting are innocuous and that the artwork’s message is both personally and collectively empowering.

The work of art in question is a mural painted on the wall of the Child and Adolescent Health Center at Grant Middle School in Michigan. The design was selected via a call for proposals addressing the theme: “Stay Healthy.” The student artist is a high school sophomore named Evelyn Gonzales. The style of the mural is heavily inspired by the fantastical characteristics of manga, a Japanese narrative art form dating back to at least the twelfth century. Today, manga is largely associated with anime, which can be simply defined as anime originating in Japan, although the mode of art and design has extended across the world. As someone who has taught art in urban schools to students ranging from kindergarten through twelfth grade, I can attest to how incredibly popular this art form is with individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

Manga and anime characters typically adhere to certain aesthetic conventions such as exaggerated eye size, unique hairstyles that often move in an exaggerated manner and a canon of highly gestural facial expressions that signify certain moods. Characters in Gonzales’ mural painting are both human and humanoid. Anthropomorphic animals are dressed in medical uniforms and are providing healthcare services such as immunizations. The non-animal characters represent a diverse set of identities, which are representative of the student body and people within the culture at large.

The controversy and vitriol for the painting involves a group of parents and school board members who claimed at a fiery school board meeting that the mural espouses “anti-Christian” themes and values such as queer culture and witchcraft. The accounts of their arguments appear in line with the Satanic Panic movement that was a major part of the culture wars during the 1980s, when political and religious groups attacked artwork (often made by marginalized groups such as Black, Latino and LGBTQ artists) and certain forms of progressive intellectualism as being immoral and against Christian beliefs. This fervor turned out to be irrational thinking, but it led to the persecution of many artists, as well as non-Christian and non-white individuals and groups who were being accused of things as serious as child abuse and taking part in violent Satanic rituals. Former FBI agent Ken Lanning reflected that, “The evidence wasn’t there, but the allegations of satanic ritual abuse never really went away…When people get emotionally involved in an issue, common sense and reason go out the window. People believe what they want and need to believe” (quoted in Yuhas, 2021).

Lanning’s quote is true of the ideologies put forward by the mural’s dissenters. Their reactions were clearly spurred by their dogmatic and emotional upholding of what they deem to be appropriate “Christian values.” Some of the issues that these contemporary culture warriors are offended by include a color palette that resembles LGBTQ identity, a devil mask and a hamsa. Here is where having an artistic and culturally diverse vocabulary would diffuse the tension. Artworks generally consist of a combination of the artist’s personal experiences and the phenomena they observe in the world around them. Furthermore, as a global movement, manga and anime contain extensive cultural symbols and signs that have both shared and unique meaning to specific cultures and communities. The devil’s mask, which the artist stated came from a video game, is also a symbol that has origins in religious art. In fact, Christianity’s influence on art is chock full of imagery that contains the likenesses of demonic figures or depictions of hellscapes. Demons, devils and burlesque scenes were common and even the status quo in paintings made and displayed in societies that were influenced and governed by Christian faith. The artists who painted these works were not devil worshipers, nor do the presence of these characters promote Satanic ideologies. They were in fact, Christian and their use of demonic iconography was prompted by their own personal demons and both a unique and shared fear of deviating from a path of virtue. In other words, they were stark reminders for living a pious life in accordance with the Christian tenets of the time.

How many of the angry adults at the Michigan school board meeting would object to artists like Hieronymus Bosch whose late fifteenth and early sixteenth century paintings not only feature demonic entities, but depict acts of sodomy and violence? In fact, in an episode of his YouTube series Great Art Explained on Bosch’s magnum opus Garden of Earthly Delights (1490-1500), host and curator James Payne likens the painting to a form of Christian propaganda. This makes sense, especially during Bosch’s era where artwork was often either in service of the church or sponsored by Christian nobility. Deeming these works of art as “anti-Christian” would reveal a misunderstanding of Christian history and culture.

Furthermore, Satanism is a manifestation of Christianity and the devil’s mask is not solely a Christian symbol. It is a common motif in art and traditional design from Central and South America and other regions where vibrant belief systems predate Christianity or Christian influence. The features of the devil represented in these masks have Indigenous roots that predate Hispanic (European) sway. Features on these masks have been linked to Indigenous religions and deities such as the Aztec gods Tlaloc and Tezcatlipoca. Masks with demonic features have been utilized in a number of important rituals including morality plays and satires. The muralist mentioned that she is Latino, so it is therefore likely that she drew inspiration from her own heritage rather than the Christian canon.

The palm-shaped hamsa is another symbol with strong spiritual connotations. It does not signify one specific culture or faith, however, it has been historically connected with Jewish mysticism and has been featured in Jewish artwork from the period of late antiquity (the European Middle Ages) onward. While the hamsa has likely origins in both Islamic and Pagan cultures, it has become a strong signifier of Judaism and Jewish identity. Art scholar Walter Leo Hildburgh actually posited that the hamsa might possibly have Christian roots, “and might be influenced by the Christian artistic form where Mary often carries her hands in a ‘fig’ pose, or a configuration where the thumb is tucked under the index finger beside the middle finger” (Wecker, n.d.). However, it is also noted that the open palm shape was painted in caves throughout the world during the prehistoric era, meaning that it is likely that the hamsa’s origins are intrinsic to both art and ritual history. In the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Islam and Christianity) the hamsa (also known as the hand of Fatima and the hand of Miriam) is a symbol of protection. Gonzales mentioned that this is the case in her culture.

As for the color palette that the outraged adults are attributing to LGBTQ themes; while the mural may feature colors and symbols that can be indicative of transgender and gay identity, there is no didactic or dogmatic narrative involving identity politics. Even so, what is the harm in raising awareness about LGBTQ culture in light of public health and wellness? If anything, it reveals an intersectional message that access to protection, safety and well-being is a universal necessity. There are clear historical and contemporary accounts of bias against LGBTQ communities within healthcare settings. During the 1980s political and religious extremist group’s attacks on art and culture also coincided with their stigmatizing of the LGBTQ community with regards to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Prior to being called HIV/AIDS the virus was known as GRID, which stood for “Gay-Related Immune Deficiency,” a term that was actually coined by medical doctors. This initial misunderstanding and misattribution resulted in a lack of public health policies, treatment options and overall compassion for those suffering with the virus. A similar bigoted message and slow response was witnessed in 2022 as Monkeypox started to spread, largely among members of the LGBTQ community (although it is clear that anyone can catch and spread both Monkeypox and HIV/AIDS). So yes, we seriously need to address the ongoing inequalities that are occurring as a result of issues impacting our overarching public health and wellness initiatives. We still have work to do in order to create spaces and treatment plans that are cognizant of marginalized communities and their rightful mistrust of healthcare settings and doctors due to systemic bias.

The “Stay Healthy” mural could serve as a conversation starter for how we can reform our healthcare settings and caregiving methods in a manner that is more inclusive and sympathetic of difference. This case highlights why we need art education and how a greater understanding of artistic themes, symbols and narratives might help to assuage our personal and collective fears and biases. Perhaps this is wishful thinking because ideologies involving race, gender and religious identity have become so ingrained and part of a partisan culture. However, we can and should discuss this mural and other works of art in a logical manner rather than resort to fear mongering, name calling and calls for censorship.

After listening to Gonzales explain her intent in painting the mural, an adult woman stood up and exclaimed, “I feel that she did a really good job finding excuses to defend the things she put on. None of us are that stupid.” I would not call these grown-up objectors stupid, but “ignorant” is a better choice of adjectives to describe their misguided and misinformed outrage.

What are your thoughts about the imagery depicted in this mural? Does it offend you? If so, why? Or if you like it, what about it speaks to you most? Does it give you a sense of comfort, safety and protection?

Please feel free to answer the following questions or state anything additional related to the aforementioned issues in the comment section below.

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References, Notes, Suggested Reading:

Payne, James. “Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights (Full Length).” YouTube uploaded by Great Art Explained, 16 April 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBG621XEegk

Romo, Vanessa. “A high school student’s mural angers parents over what they say are hidden messages,” NPR, 20 October 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/10/20/1129786060/student-school-mural-angers-parents-hidden-messages-michigan-lgbtq-satan

Wecker, Menachem. “What is a Hamsa?” My Jewish Learning. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hamsa/

Yuhas, Alan. “It’s Time to Revisit the Satanic Panic.” The New York Times, 31 March 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/us/satanic-panic.html