Confronting the past and present at UNM

Covering controversial murals an intermediate step in a longer process of discussions

(Earlier this month), the University of New Mexico president and interim provost proposed to UNM’s Historic Preservation Committee that controversial murals installed in Zimmerman Library be temporarily covered with theater curtains. That proposal has received immediate criticism in the Journal, both from the Editorial Board (Oct. 13) and some UNM faculty and staff (Oct. 14). The debate is healthy because all public stakeholders should together discern the best way forward. These particular criticisms, however, missed the main point: The curtain proposal is an intermediate step in a process of longer discussions that will continue to seek a better long-term solution.

Universities across the country are confronting issues related to pubic art on campus. Indiana University, Dartmouth College, the University of Oregon, the University of Virginia and Yale University have taken steps to remove from public view artwork that portrays particular groups in derogatory ways. UNM recently returned to tribal ownership a totem pole misappropriated decades ago from the Tlowitsis Nation of the Pacific Northwest.

Since they were erected, the Kenneth Adams murals at Zimmerman Library have sparked controversy from those who say the murals offensively represent Native Americans and Hispanic peoples of New Mexico, caricaturing them as less than full equals to Anglos. This is the reality we face, even though at the time of their painting the artist intended them as a celebration of those peoples. Student leaders, faculty and staff have, for decades, called on the university administration to relocate, remove or cover the murals. A current round of protest calls for the murals to be preserved but relocated to the archives.

What the university has done over the last year was to act like a university. We gathered a task force including historic preservationists, faculty who study New Mexico and public art, and staff and students who work and study in the library. Then we offered a class for 60 students involving 30 guest speakers with varying expertise and points of view about the murals. Members of the press, including a journalist from the Albuquerque Journal, were invited to the class and wrote articles. The lectures were open to the public and remain available online.

Proposals regarding the future of the murals came from students, task force members and other members of the community. Ultimately, the UNM administration decided the status quo needs to change after decades of inaction. The president and interim provost proposed a short-term remedy that preserves the murals while addressing the immediate concerns of those who experience the murals as hostile to their very identity. Under this proposal, until a permanent solution is agreed upon, theater curtains will cover the murals as a default position. On scheduled days, the murals can be uncovered if a class, tour group or individual wants to view them. Discussion about the long-term fate of the murals will continue under the guidance of the Historic Preservation Committee and the vice president for diversity and inclusion, and ultimately under the authority of the Board of Regents.

UNM believes controversial art should be displayed. But constant display in a public study hall and workplace is not the best option for art experienced as derogatory, because viewers have no choice whether to view it. The Journal’s Editorial Board calls for “a solution that ensures that everyone feels welcome to examine issues and exchange ideas in a civil manner.” The university’s proposed curtains seeks to create a setting where that can happen.