"> Name: PA Residents Accuse Mexican Artist of "America-bashing"

Date: 1995 - present

Location: North America

SubjectPolitical/Economic/Social Opinion

MediumPublic art


Artist: Marcos Ramirez

Confronting Bodies: Residents of Reading Pennsylvania

Date of Action: September 2003

Specific Location: Reading, Pennsylvania

Description of Artwork: Ramirez's piece resembles a highway sign, green with white lettering, and was scheduled to be mounted on a billboard near a busy bridge in Reading, PA. The sign reads a list of eight cities that had been bombed by the United States over the past two centuries, their dates and their distances from Reading, PA.



Description of Incident: The citizens of Reading, including city councilpersons and business owners, protested the installation of the piece, accusing Ramirez of "America-bashing." The billboard company has since refused to lend the sculpture's organizers, Mexico Illuminated, the billboard space.



Results of Incident: Mexico Illuminated, in addition to several local politicians, have vowed to find a space for Ramirez's piece.



Source: www.Alternet.org

Submitted By: NCAC


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