Harvard University recently declined a submission, initially approved, by a UMB student when it held its annual “Black Arts Festival.”

The weeklong festival, which began on February 28 and ended last week, had several exhibits including the Visual Arts Exhibition. There was no criteria or theme for the visual arts submissions, other than their having to be “visual” and reviewed by a jury. The artwork that was accepted by the jury was presented at the Three Columns Gallery in Cambridge, MA.

Sabner Anosier, a UMB art student, decided to broaden his horizons, and submitted his artwork to the college’s festival. A junior at UMB, Anosier is a devoted artist who also works full time doing digital work for ILRN (Interactive Learning) in Medford, MA. Anosier primarily works with black and white photography that he manipulates on a computer.

The untitled, eleven part series that he submitted (see Art to the Editor) dealt with the tragedy of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City, a subject that many artists have had difficulty exploring. Anosier’s work is a collection of photos that he took of himself, posing as one of the victims and actual journalistic documentation of Ground Zero. By incorporating himself in the foreground and using the horrific visual of 9-11 as a backdrop, Anosier successfully describes to the viewer how we are all affected by that terrible day.

The jury accepted Anosier’s series back in December. Excited by the news, Anosier told all his friends and patiently anticipated the week of the festival. However, a mere two days before the event, Anosier received an email from Crystal E. Winston, director of visual arts for the festival, stating that his work would not be allowed in the festival due to “concerns for psychological safety.”

In the face of this flagrant censorship, Anosier had no other recourse but to kindly reply to this unexpected disappointment:

“Hi, how are you? I send you this email to let you know I don’t appreciate the stance the museum has taken towards my artwork. I think that this is obscene and prejudiced. I am wondering if there is any way to appeal the decision. What do I do about all the invitations I sent out?”

After this communication, Anosier received another email from Winston stating how the Three Columns Gallery believes “the topic is still too sensitive and that a display of work on this subject may have a negative psychological impact.” For a “director of visual arts,” Ms. Winston certainly doesn’t seem to have much authority or conviction.

The artwork is in no way offensive or psychologically oppressive. Anosier’s series is tasteful and provokes the necessary thought and consideration in terms of our reaction to September 11. It is truth, raw and uncensored. Art has always been about truth, no matter how awful it may be. In fact, Anosier called The Harvard Crimson, Harvard’s independent paper, several times and left messages describing his story. He even sent an email (www.thecrimson.com), but the paper never replied. Apparently, the censorship of provocative art just isn’t “groundbreaking news” for Harvard University.