JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — An art exhibit at East Tennessee State University’s Reece Museum is generating controversy.
The artwork, which is on display in the Fletcher Exhibit at the museum, has faced complaints from state officials, community members, and ETSU students who disapprove of the message.
The artist, Joel Gibbs, said his “Evolution” piece is a response to fascism. It shows a swastika morphing into a cross, which is painted behind a portrait of Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“The fascism we seem to have in this country has attached itself to extreme right Christian groups,” Gibbs said. “So I just figured by having a cross evolve into a swastika with him there smirking, it would sort of just give a…it’s a very large political cartoon in my sensibility.”
Republican State Sen. Rusty Crowe is appalled at the art piece.
“We have freedom of speech, but freedom of speech has consequences,” Crowe said. “And I think the consequences in this case, in my view, should be that these people that approve of this on campus should not be on our campus. It’s just it’s not representative of our Northeast Tennessee spirit. It’s hateful. It’s divisive. It’s not good.”
ETSU President Brian Noland said he would review the process of allowing guest artists and speakers to present on campus.
He sent Nexstar’s WJHL the following statement:
“I am aware of the concerns that have been raised about works selected to appear in this year’s FL3TCHER EXHIBIT on display in the Reece Museum. As a Christian and the son of a veteran, I can say that I personally find some of the views expressed in this year’s exhibit abhorrent. However, as the president of a public university, which is bound by the laws of the State of Tennessee as well as the U.S. Constitution, I must ensure that our university adheres to state and federal law. I am working to gain more information, and we will undertake an examination of the process through which we allow guest artists, speakers, and other third-party groups to present information on campus.”
Some students believe the artwork doesn’t belong on campus and that the message can be misconstrued.
“It’s just an expression of raw emotions, almost truly trying to express how they feel but I think that it’s something that’s really been taken too far,” student Joseph Harlan Savery told WJHL. “And it’s kind of like shouting ‘fire’ in a crowded theater or doing something to that extent. It’s something that it’s not okay to do in public.”
Gibbs said he believes he has a logical reaction to faith being intertwined in government.
“I see more and more people trying to force their beliefs or into governments and into the public square and trying to denigrate people that that are not people of faith,” Gibbs said. “To be somehow lesser or immoral or their feelings don’t matter.”
Gibbs said his pieces have been displayed at the Reece Museum before, but believes the current exhibit has received more attention due to the recent presidential election. He said conservatives should create their own art and that the Fletcher Exhibit invites all social and political artworks, not just those left-of-center.
“They have every opportunity,” Gibbs said. “If they want to do a pro-gun piece of artwork, they want to do an anti-abortion piece of artwork. By all means, they might make something very effective. Might change somebody’s mind. It might really strike somebody rather than just complain, get out there and make the art, get your point across. That’s what America is about, an exchange of ideas.”
Northeast Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger also weighed in on the art piece.
“I am deeply appalled by this hateful display and equally disappointed it has been permitted on the campus of a taxpayer-funded institution. It’s an abhorrent mockery of my Christian faith and associates many of my close colleagues with such hateful symbolism. I feel sorry for the many outstanding students at ETSU who have had to endure this display on their campus and demand that it be taken down immediately.”
Congressman Tim Burchett, who represents Knox and several other East Tennessee counties, sent a letter to the university requesting that the exhibit be taken down.
As of Sunday, the art is still on display.
