Anti-War Artwork Removed from West L.A. Bookstore Window by Demand of Fearful Landlord

West Los Angeles, CA. May 17, 2003 – On March 12, 2003, artist Steve Craig had to remove his anti-war artwork, “Perpetual Protest for Peace,” from the window of Gene de Chene Booksellers in West Los Angeles at the request of the owner of the property. Samantha Scully, the bookstore proprietor who rents the storefront and wanted the piece in her window, was contacted by her landlord, Ginny Lambert, and told to remove the artwork from the window for fear of potential vandalism to the property. The artwork faced a busy Santa Monica boulevard filled with rush-hour traffic. The property owner claimed that, “there are a lot of nuts out on the street and if they see something they disagree with, they will throw rocks or spray graffiti,” on her window or damage the property.

The artwork was a window display consisting of a row toy dolls carrying protest signs with a naked GI Joe and Barbie holding a “Make Love, Not War,” protest sign in the center. Behind the toy protest marchers, five television monitors played altered news media footage of the war, which critiqued the mainstream media’s coverage of the recent invasion of Iraq.

“To make me remove this art because the landlord thinks something terrible will happen to her property is ridiculous,” says the artist Steve Craig. “The owner says she is not against what I am saying, she’s just worried about her window. Whatever her motives, I think the Bush administration has created a mood of fear among the people with regard to openly expressing dissenting viewpoints.” This goes along with the belief among many dissenters that the suppression of ideas undermines a democratic society. “We are ruled by fear,” says Steve, “that something bad might happen so we better play it safe and stay quiet. I can’t believe it, I mean if you can’t speak out in a bookstore, where can you?”

The artist Steve Craig will continue to speak out and make art. He is currently looking for a new home to display his “Perpetual Protest for Peace.”