Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
MoCADA Speaks Out About Controversial Exhibit
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 1, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 1, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
"The Blue Wall of Violence" courtesy of MoCADA
Yesterday, The Daily News printed an article that began, "A cop-bashing art exhibit at a taxpayer-funded museum in Brooklyn portrays the city's Finest as trigger-happy racists who have put bull's-eyes on the backs of black New Yorkers."
The exhibit is a retrospective of the artist Dread Scott's work called "Welcome to America," and the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) is calling the paper out for sensationalizing the story with a laundry list of inaccuracies. Yesterday they sent us a statement saying they "stand firmly behind our decision to exhibit a retrospective of Dread Scott’s innovative and provocative work and strongly supports the right to free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment."
The museum, which is only partially tax-funded, then addressed "several inaccuracies and false implications made in the Daily News article on February 29, 2008."
• The exhibition is not cop-bashing. There are only two works within the entire exhibition that directly relates to police brutality and these images are simply a reflection of the artists’ opinion about police who use excessive force, not all police in general.
• Nowhere in the artist’s work are police directly or indirectly referred to or labeled as “trigger-happy racists,” as the Daily News implies. However, the work does remind viewers that disproportionately high young black males are shooting victims.
• The rest of the images on exhibition are not mentioned, which confront issues about the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina and the experience of men within the prison population. All of these works are important social and political messages, none of which are mentioned whatsoever in the Daily News article.
City Council members have spoken out in support of the exhibit; Letitia James asked, “What is wrong with self-expression? I have been a strong supporter of MoCADA, its exhibitions and programs from the beginning and will continue to support them.” Artistic freedom or NYPD-bashing? Decide for yourself, the exhibit is open through June 1st.
Tagged
america
art
artist
arts
brooklyn
city
City Council
controversial
daily news
Dread Scott
exhibit
first amendment
free speech
Hurricane Katrina
iraq
Iraq War
katrina
letitia james
MoCADA
museum
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts
new yorkers
news
nypd
the city
the daily news
war
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 22, 2026
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .