Artist Lydia Nobles was caught by surprise last week when she received word artwork she’d been asked to contribute to a Lewiston show about women’s health was being rejected days before the exhibit was set to open.
The New York-based conceptual artist is asking for her work to be displayed in the “Unconditional Care” exhibition that opened Friday at Lewis-Clark State College’s Center for Arts & History after school officials removed it from the lineup citing Idaho’s No Public Funds for Abortion Act.
Nobles’ “As I Sit Waiting” series was left out because of the school’s interpretation of the law that “prohibits the use of public funds for abortion, including speech that would ‘promote abortion’ or ‘counsel in favor of abortion,’” according to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union and National Coalition Against Censorship.
“They entirely omitted my work,” Nobles said.
That work, she said, consisted of four interviews — three on video and one on audio — with women discussing reproductive health care, including abortions.
An LCSC spokesperson shared a statement Monday confirming some art was cut from the exhibition because of the No Public Funds for Abortion Act.
“After obtaining legal advice, per Idaho Code Section 18-8705, some of the proposed exhibits could not be included in the exhibition,” Communications Director Logan Fowler said via email.
The letter asking for Nobles’ work to be included in the exhibit was emailed Friday to LCSC President Cynthia...
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