If UK destroys Memorial Hall mural, it will actually nullify two works of art

The University of Kentucky is in danger of losing a golden opportunity to advance racial understanding.

In June, President Eli Capilouto announced that the university would remove Ann O’Hanlon’s 1930’s-era mural from Memorial Hall because students consider its depiction of Blacks and Native Americans offensive.

It was just two years ago that the university responded to complaints about the mural by commissioning a renowned Black artist, Karyn Olivier, to create an installation in the dome above the mural that highlights the important contributions made by people of color in Kentucky history.

As Capilouto explained at the time, the purpose of the installation was to encourage conversation about the history of slavery and the changing ways in which it has been represented in art. “It sets up a dialogue between the two pieces of art,” he said. “We never meant this to be an exclamation point. It was supposed to be a comma, that would continue the conversation.”

The university’s solution to the controversy over the O’Hanlon mural was cheered by art lovers. There have been a growing number of challenges to historic murals that many people find offensive. In some places, curators have added explanatory material in an effort to contextualize the work. The University of Kentucky was the first institution of higher education to commission a piece of original art for this purpose.

But in the weeks following the death of George Floyd, Capilouto changed his mind. “....[T]he spaces we have created for dialogue, and the work we have commissioned to expand conversation and contextualize art, haven’t worked, frankly,” he said in announcing his decision.

It is heartbreaking to hear that a bold effort to encourage dialogue about the problem of race is being abandoned, especially when those words are spoken by a professional educator.

The announcement immediately raises questions. How is the university measuring success? What steps did it take to use the installation as an educational tool? Can such an important experiment be judged a failure after only two years?

Karyn Olivier, who is an educator as well as the creator of the Memorial Hall installation, believes that the university hasn’t lived up to its promises. “The disparate emotions around O’Hanlon’s mural and my work should have been met with a long-term plan and commitment to investigate and address racism on campus and beyond,” she wrote recently. “The day I completed my response to the mural was the day the university’s real work needed to begin.”

There is also a question about whether university officials are being forthright when they talk about “removing” the mural to another location.

Can the mural, which is a fresco painted on plaster, be relocated without destroying it? According to the International Council on Monuments and Sites, “detachment and transfer [of wall paintings, including frescoes] are dangerous, drastic and irreversible operations.”

As recently as March 31, during a meeting with the Black Students Advisory Council, President Capilouto said the mural could not be moved without destroying it, according to the lawsuit that poet and author Wendell Berry has filed in an effort to block the removal plan.

The great irony of the university’s decision is that, in the name of advancing racial justice, the removal of the O’Hanlon mural would rob the work of a Black artist of nearly all of its significance. Olivier has already said that she would be forced to remove her work if the mural is hidden or destroyed. But her main concern is the lost opportunity created by the two works together.

“....[R]emoving the mural chooses silence, erasure and avoidance over engagement, investigation and real reconciliation,” she said. “Is the hope that we’ll simply forget our shared history?”

If the university has the courage to admit a mistake, there is still a chance for it to realize the golden opportunity for learning and growth these artworks have created for its students and community.

Christopher Finan is executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship, an alliance of 57 national non-profits that promote freedom of thought, inquiry and expression.