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Renowned nude photos banned by University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 February 2009, 07:19 CST

ANCASTER, ON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ - The University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) has banned a vital part of a well-known exhibition scheduled to appear on its campus next Monday for a week. The exhibition - The Century Project - has travelled around the continent annually for 18 years.

The Project presents a chronological series of nude photographic portraits of diverse girls and women of many ages, shapes, sizes, and conditions, plus their personal statements about their bodies and experiences. The University has banned the photos of anyone under 18. It is the only organization to do so in the Project's long history.

The ban was declared after receipt of a complaint from Oklahoma. It claimed that The Century Project is pornographic and harms women. It was sent to colleges where the Project is to appear, telling them to reject it. At UNCW, the complaint went to the Chancellor and the Provost. The Provost then banned the photos of children.

The Century Project has received extraordinary praise from psychiatrists, counsellors, educators, and the general public. It has never been challenged by law enforcers. The book of the Project explains why it is "neither obscene nor pornographic."

What does the book's publisher think of the ban? Dr. Paul Rapoport of Heureka Productions states, "UNCW was misinformed about The Century Project. It should have done some easy homework, to learn what the Project is and does. The Project has captivated and helped tens of thousands of people."

"What about the University's prior commitment to The Century Project?" asks Dr. Rapoport. "And freedom of expression and inquiry? Also, by banning all the photos of the under 18s, the University indicates they may be pornographic or illegal, which they aren't. That's unjust.

"UNCW's unnecessary censorship does violence to The Century Project. It's deplorable, coming from a university."

The Century Project's creator, Frank Cordelle, will arrive in Wilmington on the weekend. He explained, "UNCW has dealt a real blow to academic freedom. The students and others are able to decide about the Project for themselves; denying them the opportunity to see the whole Project doesn't make sense."

"UNCW holds a record high of 2000 visitors to The Century Project from a few days in February, 2002. It's disturbing that this wonderful reputation counts for nothing."

The Century Project is at UNCW's Warwick Ballroom March 2 through 6. A discussion of the Project takes place in Randall Library on Monday, March 2, at 5 PM.

This news comes to you from: HEUREKA PRODUCTIONS Ancaster, Ontario, Canada www.heurekaproductions.com

SOURCE Heureka Productions

Source: PR Newswire

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