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Saving the URI Murals – update
One year after URI first indicated it wanted to remove 1950s whimsical art murals done at the time students were returning from the war, the issue is still unresolved. As the pandemic eased, the school issued an email to alumni seeking their input and formed a committee to make recommendations. The comment period ended May 16th, and now the group is preparing a report for the end of the month to be presented to President Dooley for a decision process. URI is a state school and a land grant school, which received GI Bill and other federal funds at that time and since.
Both veterans and arts groups as well as alumni have raised opposition, sending thoughtful comments to the committee and to RINewsToday. A GoFundMe effort has begun in case legal action to prevent the destruction of the murals, if needed.
RINewsToday submitted a FOIA request to URI on May 10th – receiving no response – then a response for a 10 day and now a 20 days delay in responding, which is legally their right to request. This takes response time, if all the delay is used, to mid-June.
Here’s an update on what we know:
FOIA response from URI:
“This is a response to your email request of May 10, 2021 sent to URI’s Office of Communications and Marketing which was forwarded to this office for a response.
Pursuant to the RI Access to Public Records Act, you are requesting the following:
• Summary of all complaints or complements received (students, staff, volunteers, etc.) from prior to 2019 to current date – include identifying demographics where actual name may be a problem (for example: freshman student, in place of John Smith) – this should include phone call or email summary as well as written.
• Summary and timeline of meetings held, activities, and minutes, if recorded, regarding the murals, since issue was raised
• Publications, news articles, etc. done about the mural by URI publications
• Emails from college administration regarding murals from 2019 to present
• Summary of funds used in production of 2 banners that now cover the art – including printing source, bid process if any, labor costs to install
• Minutes of committee now assigned to discuss the banner and receive testimony.
• Demographics of students currently studying in ROTC, or taking Military courses – include enrollment numbers.
• Demographics of URI student body and staff – African American, etc. – include Veterans, if possible
Due to the high volume of APRA requests our office has received over the last 3 months, and the increased difficulty of responding to APRA requests during the Covid pandemic while many university employees are working remotely, the University will require additional time to comply with your request. Accordingly, in accordance with RIGL §38-2-3 (e) and §38-2-7, the time to comply with your request is extended for an additional twenty (20) business days beyond the initial response time of ten (10) business days from May 10 (the date we received your initial request).
Please keep in mind that nothing contained herein represents that the responsive records (if any) are public records subject to disclosure or shall constitute a waiver of any right or claim of exemption that the University can assert under the law with respect to the disclosure of the requested records.
If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact our office at your convenience.
Patricia Foster
Legal Assistant, Office of the General Counsel, University of Rhode Island”
_____
URI put a committee together to receive feedback from the community. Community members are:
Kevin Lopes (co-chair), ‘05, alumni member
Rachael Garcia (co-chair), assistant director for Veterans Affairs and Military Programs
Carl Stiles, director of the Memorial Union
James Hopkins,’62, alumni member
Angie Tyson, Student Senate representative
Ronald Onorato, professor and chair of the Department of Art and Art History
Zack Nardone, student veteran representative
Anita Burke, senior word processing staff member, Gender & Sexuality Center.
Some people have shared their commentary with us.
From Carol Felino:
I am of the class of 1996 MLIS.THE MURALS SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED.My dad was a veteran of WW2.Simply stated the old saying…we don’t t know where we re going if we don’t t know where we came from.The mural is very much representational of RI history.My career was in urban education. Very much involved in the diversity of RI population. I cherish the diversity.Just like removing a Christian prayer from the wall of a Cranston school was unnecessary to my way of thinking when a simple solution would have been to ADD prayers or thoughts of other religions to the nearby walls.That makes a statement of tolerance.ADDING not SUBTRACTING to the image. Do changes need to be made to Michaelangelo LAST SUPPER to represent diversity?
From Paul M. Murray, artist and photographer:
If the URI statement saying, “Our Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs and our very active Student Veteran Organization both view this artwork as a depiction of a specific period of time and not reflective of campus and military culture today.”, that is a significant issue. It is not terribly surprising to me and has some merit. World War II and the 1950s are probably more than a half-century away from the experience of the student veterans, the URI students in general, and those enrolled in ROTC at URI. To me, the mural does have imagery that dates to the 1950s or 60s. I would not have associated it with veteran art despite the visual cues on the left-hand side of the mural. Strangely enough, that lack of strong military content might be one of the best reasons for finding a way to protect and retain the image in some way. The art that veterans create has to be evaluated first and foremost as art. The influences of their veteran experience may not be obvious at all which is why I always want veteran art that I exhibit to be accompanied by written statements from the artist.
From ITAM (Italian American War Veterans):
The Italian American War veteran has launched a Facebook page to SAVE THE URI VETERAN MURAL, to bring this project to the reality that does not touch the original mural—–but uses the mural as the beginning. Or in the alternative, ITAM will use the funds to legally challenge the artwork is protected by federal law, already decided in the courts. Conclusion and action sought of committee – History of the mural was always connected to WWII veteran, a narrative detailed and told to thousands of incoming URI students. In URI’s own words, article Projo URI Kathy Collins September 3, 2020: “It really depicts a snapshot in time of the university’s history, important history, showing a person returning back to campus from World War II and other historical moments,” said Vice President of Student Affairs, Kathy Collins. “We’ve made a really difficult decision as we aim for the university’s future and we think about who are our students today, and who are our students going to be tomorrow.” (Mrs Collins didn’t misspeak, the narrative and history of the mural has always been described the way Collins told the Providence Journal. Moreover, Pam Sherman, daughter of the artist was told this by her Dad—the artist. from the Projo article in September 2020:, the artist daughter Pam Sherman, Projo article: Pam Sherman says her father’s murals are “an important piece of history” that need to be preserved, pointing out that Memorial Union was dedicated to honor URI’s fallen World War II and Korean War soldiers.While the university agrees, it says that “through no fault of the artist, they decidedly lack two things — diversity and a sensitivity to today’s complex and painful problems.”
ITAM requests the committee allow access to all future meetings of the group, post information according to public meeting laws, to allow veterans to testify about the mural, and finally submitted an APRA request to which it has received no reply. ITAM also requested presentation time about a unique “projectile mapping” proposal.
In closing, ITAM organization and Rhode Island veteran community looks forward to being PART OF THE SOLUTION, to preserve the legacy of World War II Veterans—–known as the greatest generation, which includes the artist Art Sherman—decorated World War II veteran.” ITAM has also begun a GoFundMe page to raise funds to mount a legal challenge if the mural was set for destruction.
Kathleen McMinn Ellertson, founder of the Veteran Art Institute sent a letter of support.
Bob Hamilton, advisor to the URI Committee on the Mural:
Hamilton told RINewsToday that the committee is preparing a report to be given to URI to make its way to URI President Dooley about the future of the mural. He believed opinion may be to work to save the mural and to develop it into an educational opportunity, with a plaque explaining it and perhaps adding another area where photographs or paintings can be included about the rich heritage of URI with Rhode Island veterans attending and teaching at this land grant school that owes much of its solid early development to the veterans who proudly attended on the GI Bill, after returning from war.
The artist, Prof. Sherman, in front of one of two murals he designed and painted and maintained throughout the years. He is 95 years old now.
One of two murals that have been covered by custom made URI Banners:
This is a developing story.
Past stories: