It's a big story involving the a case of
censorship against me and Naked Therapy in the West Chelsea art world.
It also announces a public appearance I'll be making on May 13 in NYC
to show my art and voice my protest against being banned from the West
Chelsea Artists Open Studios. I'm here all day and night for the next
week for emails and phone calls. I'd love it if you can help spread
the story.
Dear Writers/Friends,
Dear Writers/Friends,
As the following cover stories on ArtInfo.com (http://bit.ly/JFHdQP) and Culturebot.net (http://bit.ly/Jd41ZV) make
clear, people are discussing the issues inherent in my having been
banned from the West Chelsea Artists Open Studios. My Independent Open
Studio in protest of the censorship is on Sunday, May 13, so there is
still some time to let your readers know about and chime in on where
you/they stand on ad vs art, commercial entity vs artist, and the
professional challenges faced by women who use their bodies
provocatively.
More info on the censorship:
I'm available for interviews and you're free to use any art off my website for your story.
Thank you so much!
You can see this release along with the censored image and my response
at http://www.sarahwhiteart.com & http://thenakedtherapist.org.
xoxo
Sarah White
The Naked TherapistSarahWhiteTherapy.com
.Sarah White
The Naked TherapistSarahWhiteTherapy.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Censored from the West Chelsea Artists Open Studios, Sarah White, The
Naked Therapist, Announces Her Own Open Studio in Protest of the
Blacklisting for May 13, 2012.
The art world, long the object of censorship, is now censoring
artists. In a clear case of anti-woman, anti-naked, and anti-artist
prejudice, West Chelsea Artists Open Studios (WCAOS), perhaps one of
the world's most important open studio events, initially accepted
Sarah White as a photographer/performance artist on April 19, but then
censored and banned her on May 1. The censoring came when Ms. White
tried to identify herself as The Naked Therapist and submitted a
feature image. She was then removed from the event via email because
she was a "commercial entity" and "not an artist" and the image was an
"ad," not "art." The censored image, and her response, can be found at
To protest the blacklisting, Ms. White will hold her own Open Studio
at The Hôtel Americano in Chelsea from 4-8pm on May 13, 2012 (the last
day of the WCAOS) to show her work and let the public decide if it's
art and to take part in an open dialogue on censorship, commercialism
vs. art, and the professional segregation of women who utilize the
performative body to engage arousal.
According to Ms. White, "I have been creating photographic art about
sexuality, Americana, and the forbidden for over a decade, for the
last two years I've been making art influenced by my Naked Therapy
practice, and I've recently begun investigating performance art
therapy. So I'm an artist and I'm The Naked Therapist. But when I
tried to identify myself as such, the Open Studios became not so
'open,' and I was censored and banned. Apparently if a woman uses her
body in any way other than what the art world considers 'acceptable'
she is ostracized. Given my established artistic portfolio, I find it
insulting and quite troubling that an event that is 'open to all West
Chelsea artists' feels it has the right to say that I am not an
artist."
Ms. White also feels that "this raises some very interesting questions
about contradictions in the art world when it comes to how
commercialism, the Internet and performance are involved in art and
what one has to do to have the 'right' to call oneself an artist. If
Damien Hirst put TheRichestArtist.org on an orange field it would sell
AS ART for millions at Sotheby's because it would be taken as a
profound comment on the money-obsessed art culture, yet when I place a
url on my image I'm told I've made an ad and not art. Further, my art
is very informed by the Internet, by performance art, and by
commerce-based models of artistic identity, and the established art
world often has a big problem with these elements. If you do not take
the traditional route to gaining the 'right to call yourself an artist
- an MFA, lots of Gallery climbing, and an almost nun-like devotion to
keeping your 'art' pure from the evils of 'commerce' (while also doing
your best to sell your works for as high a price as they'll command) -
then you're not considered an 'artist.' I find that a ridiculous and
completely outdated position to be taking in the 21st century when the
Internet has given everyone the most democratic, flexible artistic
arena ever invented and so many people are simply trying to take
advantage of this new opportunity."
This is not the first time Ms. White has been hypocritically banished
from assumed bastions of freedom. Facebook deleted her profile and fan
page (which contained no nudity) without explanation, yet Playboy has
a Facebook page that links to naked images. She's been told by various
psychology professionals that she cannot be admitted to a Masters
program or obtain licensing because her methods potentially breach the
American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics (even though Naked
Therapy involves no sexual contact). And HuffPost has said it won't
publish her articles until she has a graduate degree, yet publishes
others without that qualification.
Despite this, many professionals have shown support. For example, in
March 2012 she headlined a SXSW panel hosted by Dr. John Grohol
(PsychCentral.com) called "Online Therapy...Naked?". And this recent
act of censorship has only emboldened Ms. White: "I practice Naked
Therapy to help my clients and to investigate arousal in the
therapeutic context. I make art to express my creative voice. And I'll
continue to do these things, accepted or not, because I think they're
vital to freedom and wellness in our world."
Contact: Sarah White
Phone: 917-725-5223
Website: http://www.sarahwhiteart.com
