Censorship isn't driving controversial sculpture debate

Dear Coeur d’Alene Press and Art Spirit Gallery,

I am a young community member, a Gonzaga student and a medical professional. I recently become engaged in the question of what is appropriate for a storefront window in the recent concern over the Virgin of Guadalupe statue at Art Spirit. I would like to clarify that the requests were only to remove the sculpture in question from the front window, not to remove it completely.

This is not about censorship; it is a request for sensitivity. Censorship would demand the sculpture be removed from the store or destroyed. This was not the case. Consideration and empathy ask that we don’t force people and children to view it involuntarily as they walk by. Regardless of religious and cultural beliefs, many of us in the community want to keep our town family friendly and the sculpture is frightening and inappropriate for the children who have no choice when they walk by and see it. It is not an unreasonable request to keep a scary and nude image that is extremely disrespectful to the values of many people out of a storefront that numerous families walk by every day.

Having been deeply immersed and involved with Hispanic communities and traditions, I am very familiar with Hispanic Catholic culture. This image shows a very incomplete knowledge of Hispanic Catholic culture, which refrains from depicting the Virgin de Guadalupe, their most prized and revered relic, in the bones of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This is because they believe she was free of the sin and death the bones represent. Furthermore the exposure of the breasts is, according to Hispanic standards, a grave and immodest contortion of their beloved and pure madonna. While I believe this disrespect was unconscious, I hope Art Spirit will consider this in their future decisions regarding this sculpture. Considering the persecution and disrespect our Hispanic communities have already gone through recently, I think an increased sensitivity to their culture would be very appreciated.

I don’t wish to censor or demand that everyone accept my worldview. I simply request we keep our storefronts G-rated for our families and personally prefer to publicly respect the deeply sacred beliefs and cultures of many people in our community. My hope is that we can have a productive conversation toward this end and work together positively with this business to promote the good of all. Thank you.

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Katherine Thrasher is a Coeur d’Alene resident.