01.03.11: Fire In My Belly by David Wojnarowicz

In December of last year, Republican Congressmen John Boehner and Eric Cantor ordered the removal of an artwork from the National Portrait Gallery’s Hide/Seek exhibit at the Smithsonian claiming that it was "an outrageous use of taxpayer money and an obvious attempt to offend Christians during the Christmas season." Major museum funders threatened to pull their money out in protest. The director of the National Portrait Gallery resigned. The piece in question is “A Fire in My Belly”, a short film meditation on the ravages of HIV and AIDS made in 1986 by artist David Wojnarowicz. Hear in the City Art and Film Contributor, Jesse Lerner has this take on how other museums are protesting the censorship by the Smithsonian. (c) Hear In The City. 2011 . www.hearinthecity.org Airs Mondays on KPFK 90.7FM in Los Angeles at 2:00pm or www.kpfk.org