Brooklyn College MFA Students and Attorneys Hold Press Conference to Announce Settlement of Lawsuit Against the City of New York

MEDIA ALERT

For press inquiries, please contact:
Marni Kotak
http://us.f421.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=marnikotak@yahoo.com
917-692-1938

What: Press conference to announce settlement of lawsuit by Brooklyn College MFA students against the City of New York

Who: Brooklyn College MFA Students, Faculty and Attorneys Norman Siegel and Steven Hyman

Where: Law Offices of McLaughlin & Stern
260 Madison Avenue (Betw. 38th and 39th)
20th Floor
New York, NY

When: Wednesday, June 6, 2007
2:00PM

Background:
The Brooklyn College Master of Fine Arts thesis show, Plan B, was suddenly shut down on Thursday, May 4, 2006, by Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner, Julius Spiegel, who deemed the work not "appropriate for families." In response to the shuttering of their exhibition, the students filed a lawsuit against the City of New York in federal court in June 2006 claiming first amendment violations and property damage.

The artists in the exhibition include: Carla Aspenberg, Jill Auckenthaler, John Avelluto, Zoe Cohen, David Davron, Susan C. Dessel, Carl James Ferrero, Carrie Fucile, Pamela Gordon, Yejin Jun, Diane Kosup, Marni Kotak, Augusto Marin, Akiko Mori, Christopher Moss, Sarah Phillips, Megan Piontkowski and Tamas Veszi.

For further information on Plan B and Plan C, visit http://plancensored.blogspot.com/.

Brooklyn College MFA Students Sue NYC and Mayor Bloomberg

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For press inquiries or
to view a copy of the complaint, contact:
Marni Kotak
marnikotak@yahoo.com
917-692-1938

Brooklyn College MFA Students Sue NYC and Mayor Bloomberg
for Shut Down Art Show

Suit Filed Against City of New York, NYC Parks Department and Brooklyn College for First Amendment Violations and Property Damage

NEW YORK (June 15, 2006) This morning the 18 graduating MFA students from Brooklyn College, whose thesis exhibition at the Brooklyn War Memorial was shut down by NYC officials last month, filed suit against the City of New York, the NYC Parks Department and Brooklyn College, citing First Amendment violations and property damages.

The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York by their attorneys Norman Siegel and Steven Hyman of McLaughlin and Stern this morning. Plaintiffs in the case are all eighteen of the graduating MFA students with student Zoe Cohen, former President of the Brooklyn College Graduate Art Student Union, as the lead Plaintiff. Also joining the suit as a Plaintiff is Brooklyn Graduate Art Deputy and Professor of Art, Karin Giusti.

Named as Defendents are the City of New York, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New
York City Parks and Recreation Department, NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe,
Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner Julius Speigel, and Brooklyn College
of the City University of New York.

The students’ attorney, former Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Norman Siegel, states “The free expression of the artistic voice is an interest that demands full protection. A clear message must be sent that government is not the appropriate body to judge the value of art. The Bloomberg Administration and Brooklyn College should not try to impose an artistic orthodoxy on the City. Surely, such a phenomenon would be an anathema to freedom of expression -- part of New York City's cherished heritage."

The eighteen students are satisfied to file the lawsuit, claiming that it is necessary for them to stand up to this violation of their First Amendment rights, and declare that City government should not be allowed to abuse its authority by attempting to prohibit the nature of content exhibited in public spaces, and that censorship should not be allowed to thrive in the City of New York.

Furthermore, the students want Brooklyn College to be held responsible for any damages which resulted from the institution’s unauthorized removal of their work from the Brooklyn War Memorial space. “Art students’ work needs to be respected by their colleges and protected by the First Amendment rights which protect all creative expression,” student Zoe Cohen states. “We need to hold Brooklyn College and the City Government accountable for their actions.”

The other Plaintiffs in the case are Carla Aspenberg, Jill Auckenthaler, John Avelluto, David Davron, Susan C. Dessel, Carl James Ferrero, Carrie Fucile, Pamela Gordon, Yejin Jun, Diane Kosup, Marni Kotak, Augusto Marin, Akiko Mori, Christopher Moss, Sarah Phillips, Megan Piontkowski and Tamas Veszi.

Press Availability Today
Students and their attorneys will be available to meet with the press or take interviews from 2-4pm at the offices of McLaughlin and Stern, 260 Madison Avenue (betw. 38th and 39th), 20th Floor. For more information, contact: Marni Kotak, 917-692-1938, marnikotak@yahoo.com.

Background
The student show, Plan B, mounted as a graduation requirement for the 2006 Master of Fine Arts Degree at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, was suddenly shut down at about 3:30PM on Thursday, May 4, 2006, by Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner, Julius Spiegel, who deemed the work not “appropriate for families.” On Monday, May 8, Brooklyn College removed the students’ artwork from the Brooklyn War Memorial without their permission, damaging some of the works. On May 24, the students held the re-opening of their exhibition, titled Plan B Prevails, at 70 Washington Street, in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The exhibition closes tomorrow, June 16th; gallery hours are Weds-Sun, 12-6pm.

For further information on the developing story of Plan B and Plan C, visit http://plancensored.blogspot.com.

Open Letter from Vito Acconci

A city exists by means of density and mix – a mix of genders and races and colors and opinions, a close-up of genders and races and colors and opinions. A school exists by means of density and mix – a mix of theories, a mix of systems – a close-up, a swarm, of all the ways-to-live in the world. In the middle of this mix, a person decides, a person lives, for him/her-self.

Both the city and the school are ways to leave home. A city-dweller, a city-meanderer, a student, might choose to go back home, or try to go home again; but the person makes that choice on his/her own, for him/her-self. Neither the city nor the school promotes belief; it might engender commitment, give occasions for commitment, but never belief.

The inhabitants of a city shouldn’t conform to the government of the city; students shouldn’t conform to the administration of the school; the government of the city, the administration of the school, has to twist and warp and morph to fit the inhabitants, to fit the students. People shouldn’t be afraid of their government, students shouldn’t be afraid of their administration; it’s the government, it’s the administration, that should be longing to be afraid of its people, its students – it’s that fear that keeps the government, the administration, alive and changing.

When a city official engenders belief, by punishing the non-believer, that city official turns the city into a suburb. When the provost of a college supports the city official, that provost turns the school into a church. Each tries to close an open system, and a closed system can’t help but die. Conservatism is a last gasp of a dying culture, a desperate attempt to preserve the old world when the new world – the exhilaratingly frightening new world – is just around the corner.

-Vito Acconci

Re-opening, 5/24

the entrance

the crowd

Yejin talking to BCAT in front of her damaged work

Zoe talking to The Brooklyn Rail

Marni's reconfigured piece

Carrie's reconfigured piece

Megan's reconfigured piece

Statement from the Artists

Welcome to Plan B PREVAILS, the second iteration of the Brooklyn College MFA thesis exhibition previously called Plan B. This show has arisen from a complex set of circumstances which began to unfold on May 4, when a City Parks official judged some work to be “inappropriate,” changed the locks of the building, and without informing us, shut down our thesis show the day after its opening. Since then, the arbitrary decisions and mishandling of our work and our rights by the City and the Brooklyn College administration have embroiled us in a struggle against censorship.

We are pleased that our work can now enjoy a run comparable to what was promised. Nevertheless, the college administration instantly chose to align itself with the City that violated our First Amendment rights, and in so doing not only violated its contract with tuition-paying students, but also compromised its commitment to mentoring and growing emerging artists. The administration took possession of our work without permission or notification, denied us access to it in a timely manner, and handled our work so carelessly that much of it was damaged, destroyed, and lost. College officials’ choices have effectively made it clear that they have no regard for our work or integrity as artists, nor do they take their role as educators seriously. So let us be clear that this exhibition in no way redeems the college administration’s actions toward us.

The show you now enter is altogether changed by the events of the past three weeks. This gorgeous 6,000 square foot space was almost completely raw when we gained access little over a week ago. You will see many works reconfigured in response to irreparable damage by the college, as well as new pieces in place of those destroyed. Above all, this show is a document of our own hard work. As artists and students who have been treated punitively and denied our rights, we stand up and show our work again because art exists to be seen and shared.

Thank you for joining Plan B Prevails in solidarity.

Carla Aspenberg
Jill Auckenthaler
John Avelluto
Zoë Cohen
David Davron
Susan C. Dessel
Carl James Ferrero
Carrie Fucile
Pamela Gordon
Yejin Jun
Diane Kosup
Marni Kotak
Augusto Marin
Akiko Mori
Chris Moss
Sarah Nicole Phillips
Megan Piontkowski
Tamas Veszi

Special thanks to those who gave generously of their resources and talents to make this show possible:

David Walentas & Two Trees Management
Steve Keltner
Professor Michael Mallory
Professor Karen Giusti
Professor Jennifer McCoy
Professor Mona Hadler
Professor Arnold Brooks
Professor Jennifer Ball
Noreen Collins
Constantine Frolov
Colson Romulus
Luis Ortiz
Josh Willis
Joel Molina
Brandon Schreck
Scott Yates
Yuri Spektor

Brooklyn College MFA Show Re-opens this Wednesday, May 24 in Dumbo

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For press inquiries, please contact:
Marni Kotak
marnikotak@yahoo.com
917-692-1938

‘Plan B Prevails’ as Brooklyn College MFA Students
Re-open Censored Exhibition

Exhibition features works from ‘Plan B’ and new works made in response to the
shuttering of original show

Exhibition Dates: May 24 - June 16, 2006 at 70 Washington Street, Brooklyn, NY
Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 24, 6-9pm, with Live Performance

NEW YORK (May 22, 2006) Brooklyn College MFA students are pleased to announce the re-opening of their 2006 Brooklyn College MFA thesis exhibition, originally censored by NYC officials, entitled Plan B Prevails.

The exhibition will take place at 70 Washington Street, in Dumbo, Brooklyn, from
May 24 - June 16, 2006. The opening reception will be held on May 24, from 6 to 9 pm.

Artists in the show include: Carla Aspenberg, Jill Auckenthaler, John Avelluto, Zoe Cohen, David Davron, Susan C. Dessel, Carl James Ferrero, Carrie Fucile, Pamela Gordon, Yejin Jun, Diane Kosup, Marni Kotak, Augusto Marin, Akiko Mori, Christopher Moss, Sarah Phillips, Megan Piontkowski and Tamas Veszi.

The student show, originally mounted at the Brooklyn War Memorial, was shut down on Thursday, May 4, 2006, just one day after it opened, by Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner, Julius Spiegel, who deemed the work not “appropriate for families.”

On Friday, May 19, 2006 students regained possession of their work. They are busily preparing to reopen the show in 6,000 square feet of space donated by Two Trees Development in Dumbo. In addition to works previously exhibited at the War Memorial, Plan B Prevails will unveil new works make in response to the shuttering of the original show.

Plan B Prevails is located at 70 Washington Street in Brooklyn, New York, entrance located on Front Street. The exhibit is free to the public and is open Wednesday through Sunday from May 24 to June 16, 2006 from 12 to 6 pm or by appointment at Brooklynmfa@gmail.com. Take the F to York Street or the A/C to High Street.

For more information about the exhibition visit http://planbprevails.com. For updates on the continuing story of Plan B and Plan C visit http://plancensored.blogspot.com.

Plan B Prevails

You are invited to the opening of Plan B Prevails!

Wednesday May 24th, 2006

6-9pm

performance at 8

70 Washington Street, Dumbo
(entrance on Front Street)

F train to York Street, A/C to High Street

Exhibition hours: Wed-Sun 12-6

This infamous show will be a combination of work from the original show and new work that comments on the events that followed the censorship of Plan B.


planbprevails.com

Village Voice Interview

The Village Voice did an interview with Marni Kotak yesterday.