"Bonfire of Liberties" exhibit to explore the history of censorship
CHADRON – August 24 through October 16, the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center will present “The Bonfire of Liberties: Censorship of the Humanities,” an exhibition by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
“The Bonfire of Liberties” addresses the difficult topic of censorship. Censorship has been practiced for nearly as long as there have been materials to censor. This exhibition gives an overview of censorship in its various guises over time. The exhibition also examines the struggle between those who want to censor controversial and revolutionary material from sensitive viewers and those who want to protect the freedoms of all people to read, view and think for themselves. Viewers may be surprised to learn just how many of their favorite books and plays have been censored at some in history.
Highlighting the impact of censorship as applied to the humanities through the ages, this exhibition emphasizes the relevance of censorship to a contemporary audience. Each panel examines a specific subject within censorship through quotes, images and informative text.
Panel topics include:
- Forms of censorship
- Public demands for censorship
- Freedom to read
- Religious censorship
- Censorship of philosophy
- Drama and theatre
- Literature
- Children’s books
- Art and art history
- Biography and autobiography
- World history
- American history
- Women and other minorities
- Censorship of the Bible, Shakespeare, and Huckleberry Finn
The Sandoz Center is open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. For more information about the exhibit, contact Sarah Polak at 308-432-6401.
—CSC College Relations
Category: Art, Campus News, Sandoz Society