FROM: Terry Lynch@aol.com; POB 241035; Montgomery, AL 36124-1035
Phone: (334) 272-4217 voice, 270-0926 fax 

DATE:  Feb. 21, 1998 

TO:  Letter to the Editor      WORD COUNT: 250 

REF:  Barnes & Noble Distributes Art, Not Pornography

Recently I contacted Barnes & Noble bookstore via telephone at
their Montgomery store to order "The Age of Innocence" and 
"Radiant Identities."  I felt it was my civic duty to review 
these artistic publications, given the recent publicity they have 
received.  However I was informed that copies were not available 
in the Montgomery store and they would have to be ordered from 
their respective New York publishers, London Bridge of Buffalo, 
New York and the Aperture Foundation in New York City which would 
take 6-8 weeks.

As an artist and writer who graduated from a major Alabama 
University, I am concerned that art may be misinterpreted as 
pornography by persons without any education in Art History or 
the Humanities.  Are we to let ignorance rule and set the 
standard for our community?  Or are we to educate ourselves to a 
high degree and not make ignorant decisions based on our emotions 
or some narrow minded religious beliefs which may not be true?

Nudity is not in and of itself pornographic.  What is perhaps 
pornographic is people who look at art and transpose their own 
experiences, ideas, feelings or belief to the artist's work.  If 
attorney general Bill Pryor looks upon fine art as pornography, I 
wonder what he is thinking?  Perhaps those who object to the 
works of David Hamilton and Jack Sturges are the ones who have 
something wrong with them as they obviously can not look at a 
beautiful picture of children without thinking obscene thoughts.

Part of the problem is that our legislatures and the public which 
elects them do not have an education in the Fine Arts and 
Humanities.  They went to Sunday school but lack a college 
education in Fine Art and the Humanities.  We need to rectify 
this situation, not by indicting Barnes & Noble, but by getting 
Mr. Pryor and his constituents into the bookstore where maybe 
they can improve their minds.

Alabama tax payers should not have to suffer an expensive legal 
action because of the ignorance of our representatives and those 
who may make anonymous complaints to them.  After all, if we 
assume God made man in His own image, is not a naked child the 
perfect image of God in all His innocence?  Only when we bring to 
that image thoughts of sex, violence, abuse or exploitation of 
children and then act upon those thoughts with malice is there a 
crime against God and humanity.  If "Age of Innocence" and 
"Radiant Identities" helps to express that truth about ourselves, 
then both books are not pornography, but art in its purest form! 

Sincerely,
Sincerely, Terry Lynch
 Montgomery, AL