University of Kentucky plans to remove mural depicting slaves
According to a University of Kentucky campus message, the school intends to relocate a historic mural in efforts to 'celebrate diversity and inclusion on our campus.'
The piece was meant to represent layers of advancements made by Kentuckians, according to the UK Libraries.
According to a University of Kentucky (UK) campus message, the school intends to relocate a historic mural in an effort to “celebrate diversity and inclusion.”
On November 22, President Eli Capilouto announced that UK plans to spend “millions of dollars” on “modernization projects,” including removing and relocating the mural that depicts enslaved African Americans as part of a broader historical portrait of the state.
Ann Rice O’Hanlon painted the mural in 1934 as part of the Public Works of Art Project. The piece was meant to represent layers of advancements made by Kentuckians, according to the UK Libraries.
O’Hanlon majored in art and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1930.
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Jay Blanton, UK spokesman, explained that the mural has sparked controversy on campus for decades.
Blanton further elaborated that the mural “presents a sanitized version of the slavery and subjugation of Black and indigenous people in our country. In that sense, it provokes strong reactions.”
The mural has received complaints as early as 1988, according to UK Libraries.
UK has expedited the mural’s removal due to a student calling a black peer racial slurs while intoxicated.
Well-known American writer, novelist, and poet, Wendell Berry, filed a lawsuit along with his wife to fight for the historic mural to stay at UK.
Berry is a UK alumnus and his wife, Tanya Berry, is the maternal niece of O’Hanlon.
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UK responded to the lawsuit acknowledging Berry’s contributions to Kentucky, but argued that “[m]oving art... is not erasing history. It is, rather, creating context to further dialogue as well as space for healing.”
Blanton told Campus Reform that “there has not been a time scheduled for relocation as the university remains in litigation over aspects of this issue.”
Campus Reform reached out to UK, Wendell Berry, and Eli Capilouto for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
