DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - PENSYLVANIA: "PORTRAITS OF TERROR" & THE FIRST AMENDMENT

Penn State sued over squelched terrorism art exhibit
By The Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A Penn State graduate claims the university defamed him and violated his free-speech rights when instructors canceled his art exhibit "Portraits of Terror" while he was a student.

Joshua Stulman's exhibit dealt with terrorism in the Middle East "and, more specifically, Arab-Palestinian terrorism directed towards the State of Israel and its people," according to a lawsuit he filed last week in federal court in Philadelphia.

Stulman's exhibit had been scheduled to open April 22, 2006, at the School of Visual Arts' Patterson Gallery. But Stulman, 24, of Cheltenham, claims he ran into problems with his instructor about the content of "Portraits of Terror."

Another faculty member canceled the show, citing the university's nondiscrimination policy and "zero tolerance policy for hate," the lawsuit said.

Penn State, in a statement on April 28, 2006, said teachers at the School of Visual Arts "initially — and incorrectly — concluded that a student's artwork was inappropriate for public display."
"The day this miscommunication with the student regarding Penn State policy was discovered, the university administration took corrective action, advising the student of the error and welcoming him to display his art," the statement said.

University spokesman Bill Mahon said yesterday the school offered Stulman two opportunities to display his work.

"He did not respond to those invitations and now Penn State faces a lawsuit from him and the university intends to defend itself," Mahon said. He refused further comment.

Penn State Hillel, a Jewish student group, planned to sponsor an opening reception for "Portraits of Terror," but did not commission the work, Stulman said in his suit. He charged the university told him he could show his art only if Penn State Hillel did not sponsor the reception.

Stulman's lawyer, David Senoff, referred questions to a local Jewish community leader acting as a spokeswoman, Lori Lowenthal Marcus. She said Stulman did not accept the school's offers to show his art again because he didn't trust the university. "They kept changing their story," Lowenthal Marcus said.

Another showing of Stulman's work in the Philadelphia area scheduled for early this year was canceled when local police said they could not provide security after learning of the controversy surrounding his work, she said.

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Pertinent Links:

1) Penn State sued over squelched terrorism art exhibit