Art / Media Studies

0-920159-82-6 

$26.95 CDN / $26.95 US

5.5 x 8.5 - 160 pages - 
36 b&w photos - paper

BISAC: CAN001000 -  CUR006000 - SOC32000

Edited by: Sylvie Gilbert

* Honourable Mention, Trade Title of the Year, Alberta Book Awards

Order this book from The Banff Centre

Contributors to this book

"Arousing Sensation is an indictment of those who walked away from their commitment to artistic expression, and a testament to those who stood their ground."
- Artichoke

Is sexuality a legitimate topic for a public art gallery? Arousing Sensation is a case study of an art exhibition that sparked a media and political uproar.

Arousing Sensation: A Case Study of Controversy Surrounding Art and the Erotic was developed following a controversial exhibit that appeared at the Walter Phillips Gallery in 1992. In Much Sense: Erotics and Life, the artists explored ideas about sexuality, expressing frank viewpoints on topics such as body image and gay and lesbian sexuality. In the months following the opening, politicians, the media, and coalitions of arts organizations engaged in a rancorous debate, alternately battering and boosting The Banff Centre for the Arts and its support of the exhibition.

Arousing Sensation supports freedom of expression for both sides of the controversy, with full text media clippings chronicling a public debate about freedom of expression, funding for the arts, censorship, sexuality, political responsibility, and journalistic integrity. The book offers a unique case study of the role the media plays in public debates.

Received honourable mention as Trade Title of the Year, Alberta Book Awards 2000.

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