Local News
StopAntisemitism, which classifies pro-Palestinian student groups as extremist, posted images of the exhibit.
Jo Sittenfeld
The Rhode Island School of Design administration removed a pro-Palestinian exhibit displayed in a student-run coffee shop, citing safety concerns, in a move student artists are calling censorship.
RISD’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, or RSJP, opened their art exhibit March 17 at the Carr Haus cafe, according to the group. The cafe is student-run, open to the public, and hosts workshops and events.
The exhibit, called “To Every Orange Tree,” included mostly political posters with messages calling on RISD to divest, pointing to the Board of Trustees’ salaries, and calls to action including “Free Palestine” and “Ceasefire now,” according to an image posted by RSJP and Carr Haus.
In a message to the RISD community March 26, RISD President Crystal Williams wrote that the exhibit “has been the focus of negative public attention, including calls for its removal.”
Williams said the “To Every Orange Tree” exhibit was moved to “a more secure location” on the third floor of the school’s administrative building on Washington Place. According to the student groups, it’s now only accessible with a RISD ID.
“Relocating the exhibition to a more secure location will enable us to prioritize the safety of staff and student employees of Carr Haus and our student artists and their work,” Williams wrote. “Because Carr Haus is a public gathering space, the move also enables community members to engage with this exhibition of their own volition, as is the case with most exhibitions at RISD.”
School leaders spoke with “concerned members of RISD’s community” and the student organizers about the “To Every Orange Tree,” according to Williams, including about “upholding our commitment to a culture of care, particularly in these fraught times.”
StopAntisemitism group targeted the RISD exhibit, students say
The student groups said the backlash from the administration followed a post made on social media. StopAntisemitism, which classifies Students for Justice in Palestine as an “extremist” group alongside neo-Nazi groups, posted images of the exhibit.
StopAntisemitism is also known for targeting Ms. Rachel, a prominent children’s entertainer, for sharing images of children suffering in Gaza.
The post from March 20 alleged that the art promoted violence against Jewish people and called for “the removal of Israel.” The post included a line on a poster that said “there is no peace as long as the Zionist entity exists.”
In her message, Williams condemned antisemitism and said that RISD, which is affiliated with Brown University, seeks “to foster an environment where artistic expression, freedom of speech, and cultures of care co-exist.”
Students put up protest exhibition
RSJP and Carr Haus called the relocation of the exhibit suppression in a post on Instagram.
“RISD is giving in to Twitter ragebait and violating their own value of ‘material practice of artists and designers as principal modes of engagement with the wider world,’” the students wrote, quoting RISD’s Mission and Values.
The students wrote that the show was registered through the school’s Center for Student Involvement. Before removing the exhibit from the coffeeshop, RISD administration didn’t consult the student groups, the artists, or the community, the student groups allege.
“Prior to the exhibit opening, we clearly communicated to artists the risks of showing work in this space, and they consented. These accusations of harm to the public are unfounded and untrue,” student organizers wrote.
After “To Every Orange Tree” was taken down, the student artists put up red and black posters with plain text.
“RISD’s ‘culture of critique’ is kept behind doors and card-access controlled,” one poster reads. “This artwork has been censored by RISD,” another says.
RSJP and Carr Haus did not return a request for comment. The exhibit will be open to RISD community members through May 2.
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