In collaboration with the Brooklyn Museum, Franklin Furnace presented Too Shocking To Show (1992) as the culture wars erupted in the United States. The event was prompted by the National Endowment for the Arts’ revocation of Franklin Furnace’s Visual Artists Organizations grant and the growing institutional censorship of sexually explicit art that was sweeping the nation at the time. Through various forms of protest on stage, the New York City art community addressed the systemic effects of censorship by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Refusing to let such conservative agendas interfere with the artists they present, Franklin Furnace held Too Shocking To Show to challenge the rights surrounding freedom of expression and to continue their mission of funding avant-garde art in the face of such adversity. The artists featured as part of the event transgress the NEA’s exclusive polices by presenting highly charged political works that encompass graphic content. Presenters in this video include Robert T. Buck, Martha Wilson, Carol S. Vance, Sapphire, Holly Hughes, Scarlet O, and Tim Miller.
Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc. was founded by artist Martha Wilson in 1976 to champion ephemeral forms neglected by mainstream arts institutions. Franklin Furnace’s mission is to present, preserve, interpret, proselytize, and advocate on behalf of avant-garde art, especially forms that may be vulnerable due to institutional neglect, their ephemeral nature, or politically unpopular content. The organization is dedicated to serving artists by providing both physical and virtual venues for the presentation of time-based visual art, including artists’ books, installation art, performance art, and unforeseen contemporary avant-garde art forms. Franklin Furnace is committed to serving emerging artists; to assuming an aggressive pedagogical stance with regard to the value of avant-garde art to life; and to fostering artists’ zeal to broadcast ideas. The organization has developed a place in art history for artists’ books, temporary installation art, and performance art. www.franklinfurnace.org
