Kansas State University graduate student Jody Kingery-Page isn't surprised by the reaction his sculpted water fountain received when it was displayed a month ago at the university's Student Union.
After all, it was in the shape of a flaccid penis.
But he was a little baffled when he was asked to move it so those walking through the union could not see it.
"It was a little controversial, but it was more funny," Kingery-Page said of the situation during a recent phone interview from his Manhattan home. "And it's not a big surprise. There's a different vibe here. You see the same kind of art elsewhere all the time. I didn't think I was being weird or shocking."
In fact, the same piece and a companion piece showing female genitalia were displayed last year at Bethany College, a small Lutheran college in Lindsborg. No one uttered a peep of disapproval.
"I had the female counterpart to the male piece, so I guess I had all my bases covered there," Kingery-Page said with a laugh.
Events unfold
Kingery-Page's sculpture which included a penis, a urinal-like bowl, a foot and a small framed image of female genitalia was one of several works by KSU students in the exhibit. It was installed near the front of the gallery, which is open to view by gallery passersby.
According to Student Union officials, people complained about the sculpture, so Kingery-Page was asked to move it to the back of the gallery. Because moving the sculpture would have meant rearranging the other students' works, Kingery-Page decided to remove his work altogether. Before long, word spread around campus that his work was censored.
"It's the first time we've had people complain about a piece. We're not trying to censor things, but it's a public building," said Gayle Spencer, coordinator of student activities and interim manager of programs at the KSU Student Union. "We asked him to move it, not remove it."
Spencer said that next to Kingery-Page's penis fountain was another work of female genitalia but passersby couldn't tell what it was from a distance.
"The penis sculpture had water coming out of it so it was easy to see what it was," she said. "You knew it was a penis when you walked by it."
Here at home
KSU isn't the only place where student art is moved when deemed offensive to passersby. Take two recent shows at the Kansas Union Gallery at Kansas University.
Dawn Patterson, program adviser for the Kansas and Burge unions, said an exhibit of works by KU student Nicole Hayden contained a painting of "full frontal male nudity."
"All of the other pieces were of women and they were not quite as exposed," she said. "(The painting) was moved so it couldn't be seen from outside of the gallery because children come through (the union). It was a beautiful piece, but it was not appropriate for everyone."
Gallery officials put black sheeting and signs up telling potential viewers the show contained nudity.
But why was the male body seen as being more offensive than a female's?
"In my opinion, it not as big a deal if it's a woman," Patterson said. "If they were naked and spread-eagle it would be the same but there's less exposure in the typical female nude. Society has told us female nudity is more acceptable."
Another show one with an anti-military theme caused a bigger stir, Patterson said. KU student Steve Elliott's show contained a life-size sculpture of a man shooting himself in the head and a negative image of a man whose face had been burned by acid.
Contractual agreement
"Some (people) thought he was criticizing men in uniform and advocating suicide, but his message was pro-gun control," Patterson said.
Student Union Activities contracts with artists who want to use the union's gallery space, she said. The contract states SUA has the right to pull pieces or negotiate whether a piece should be displayed. SUA also requires artists to submit photos of the works prior to exhibition.
The KSU Student Union adopted similar guidelines shortly after the removal of Kingery-Page's fountain.
Lost in the fray was the message behind Kingery-Page's sculptures. Just what does his penis-urinal-foot fountain say?
"It's about issues of fragmentation of the body. It's a narrative based on body systems," he said.
"I try to make tension between the public and the private, and there's some voyeurism. It's about something everyone does. It's an undeniable part of life."
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