As part of Gallery 16’s 20th Anniversary Conversation series, G16 will present a rare opportunity to hear about events that led to the turbulent period called the Culture Wars from those at the center of the debate. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the political, legislative and cultural maneuvering that led to the battle over Federal arts funding and the removal of Richard Serra’s Tiltled Arc. As well as the ongoing argument over of Federal support of the Arts.  The discussion panel will be tonight June 12th, 6pm at Gallery 16, San Francisco.

The panel will include former US Congressman Pat Williams, artist and former Director of the NEA Visual Arts program Jim Melchert and Renny Pritikin, Former Director of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Lovers of the arts today may not recall the perilous future the National Endowment For The Arts faced back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but it was close to extinction. Today we are reminded that the forces that sought to dismantle the NEA in the 90’s are still at work. This past November, a condensed version of David Wojanrowitz film “A Fire in My Belly” was removed from the exhibit “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in response to complaints from Representative John Boehner, who had neither seen the video or the exhibition.

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