Clarksdale will get a committee to monitor murals but the policy and procedure they will go by will be set by the state.
The Clarksdale Board of Mayor and Commissioners has wrestled with how to address controversial art on downtown walls for more than two months. The city voted Monday to have commissioners and the mayor each name on person to the committee and passed a resolution with directions for that committee.
The issue of monitoring artwork on public streets and alleys came to a head after out-of-town artists with Paint the Town painted several walls in downtown Clarksdale with artwork that contain political messages and that been deemed inappropriate by some in the community.
Ward 1 Commissioner Bo Plunk said he has gotten over 50 phone calls from wards all of the city from people concerned about the art.
Plunk had also said repeatedly he was not trying to stop anyone from doing anything, but he did want the city to have input on what went up in public places and the image it projected for Clarksdale.
Ward 2 Commissioner Ken Murphey said he was concerned about the possible lawsuits.
On Thursday the board met with several lawyers who brought out this point and helped the city hammer out their resolution and direction. The resolution passed this week cites state law that has been tested in court.
Murphey said he was not for graffiti all over the city and felt the city’s ordinances would allow them to enforce a ban on nudity, foul words and radical art.
Artists came from as far away as Colombia and France to paint murals on walls in the downtown area in October. Four artists came in 2018 to paint murals downtown as part of Paint the Town.
While most of the artwork got positive reviews and have become a photo opportunity for tourists, locals complained about work that expressed views on U.S. immigration policy, has racial overtones and were signed by artist using pen names that some felt were offensive.
At the Nov. 12 board meeting Ward 1 Commissioner Bo Plunk made the motion, second by Turner, to have each commissioner name a person to a committee that will oversee the composition of public murals in downtown Clarksdale. Ward 4 Commissioner Ed Seals also voted for the committee. Murphey was the lone voted against it.
Opponents to any form or regulation of murals have said the city’s effort would stifle the creativity of artists and infringe on their First Amendment right to freedom of expression.
