From the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com
Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times

Tuesday, April 17, 2001
NATION IN BRIEF / NEW MEXICO
Critics Slam Collage of Virgin in Bikini
From Times Wire Reports
Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times

Some people pleaded against censorship, but many more urged the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe to remove a bare-midriff depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe that they said was disrespectful and offensive. Four of the seven Museum of New Mexico regents heard the discussion of a photo collage by Los Angeles artist Alma Lopez, part of a display called "Cyber Arte: Where Tradition Meets Technology," at the state Museum of International Folk Art. It may be weeks before the regents decide whether to remove "Our Lady," an image of the Virgin Mary in a two-piece floral outfit. Lopez has said she meant to portray the Virgin as a strong, independent, modern woman, and meant no disrespect.

 

Tuesday, April 17, 2001
MORNING REPORT
By SHAUNA SNOW
Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times

ART & ARCHITECTURE
Virgin Mary Debate: Santa Fe Archbishop Michael Sheehan and other Roman Catholics on Monday urged the removal of a photo collage by Los Angeles artist Alma Lopez from Santa Fe's state-run Museum of International Folk Art, saying the work depicted the Virgin Mary as "a tart." But while one Catholic deacon said that the work, in which the Holy Mother is clad only in strategically placed roses, had caused splits in families and friends and that its removal would prompt "a healing process," others said that the work's removal would be unconstitutional. About 600 people gathered at a 1,200-seat convention center to discuss the work; an April 4 meeting on the issue at a smaller venue was postponed after 800 people turned out. The artist, meanwhile, said she meant no disrespect in her attempt to portray the Virgin Mary as a strong, independent, modern woman. Tom Wilson, director of the museum's parent institution, the Museum of New Mexico, promised that the governing board of regents would "carefully consider" participants' opinions before deciding whether to remove the work, which stirred no controversy when it was shown in Southern California. The regents' vote is expected in two to three weeks.