By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-30 21:55:58 | Updated at 2025-01-31 02:44:34
4 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // Students at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and two Michigan state representatives are protesting a piece of student artwork the university purchased and displayed that controversially uses altered images of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The mural, titled “Pétalos De Cambio” (“Petals of Change”), is a senior thesis exhibition by GVSU graphic design student Irlanda Beltran. Each of the three panels is intended to spotlight social issues including “homophobia, gender-based violence, and mental health stigma” that are prevalent in Mexico, according to the GVSU art gallery website. The mural is 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
The left side panel of the mural includes words including “Maricon” (“faggot”) and “sexualidad” (“sexuality”), and an image on Our Lady’s dress that appears to be of two people kissing. The central panel focuses on mental health messages, and a message on the right panel calls for an end to femicide, and includes an X across Our Lady’s face.
“By depicting scenes of love, acceptance, and resilience, the murals strive to create public spaces that celebrate diversity and affirm the dignity of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or mental health status,” Beltran said of the mural, according to the website. “Ultimately, the purpose is to envision a future where the murals serve as symbols of hope and solidarity, guiding us towards a more just and compassionate society for generations to come.”
GVSU is a public university located in Allendale, Michigan. Christopher Knape, assistant vice president for GVSU’s communications, told CatholicVote in an emailed statement that the GVSU Art Museum purchased the artwork for $1,800 last year, and added that “[s]uch purchases of student artwork are not unusual or uncommon.”
Michigan Republican House Rep. Jamie Thompson, a Christian, posted to her X account on Jan. 26 that she is “deeply concerned about the ‘Art’ that Grand Valley University felt so inclined to purchase and display… Rep Luke Meerman, myself, and other leaders will be addressing this insulting attack on Christianity.” According to Thompson, taxpayer money was spent on the artwork.
Noah Mullins, a Catholic student at GVSU, told CatholicVote over email that Meerman, a Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives, on Jan. 24 visited the Kirkhof Center, where the artwork is displayed, and met with Mullins and two other Catholic students about the installation.
Thompson also posted that representatives are trying to work with the university’s board of trustees on the issue.
Mullins told CatholicVote that the Catholic Campus Ministry center became aware of the artwork in late September 2024, and several Catholic students began advocating for its removal in meetings with various university leaders. According to Mullins, one of the concerns voiced by students is the depiction of a gun pointed in the direction of Our Lady and an “X” painted over her face.
The response in an October meeting, according to Mullins, was that the artwork would not be coming down. In late November, Mullins, along with one Protestant student and one other Catholic student, met with the associate vice president for student engagement and dean of students, the program coordinator from the school’s Kaufman Interfaith Institute, and the director of galleries and collections from the school’s art museum, Mullins said.
In the November meeting, “the general response was that this piece is up for interpretation and can be taken in many different ways,” Mullins told CatholicVote.
Knape told CatholicVote about the University’s perspective and response.
“Our Dean of Students met with students who expressed concerns to listen and understand their point of view,” he said. “We also shared the artist’s statement about the work as part of the discussion. Following the conversation, we added signage that provided more contextual information about the piece drawn from the artist’s statement about her work.”
“We understand art can result in differing interpretations, sometimes creating discomfort,” he continued. “At GVSU, we welcome diverse — sometimes opposing — viewpoints as part of our commitment to the First Amendment.”
Knape later elaborated on the topic of protected speech.
“We consider the conversation, interpretation and criticism of art as protected speech and welcome a civil discourse about this and other works of art displayed throughout our campuses,” he said. “The discussion and critical thinking art provokes are part of why GVSU maintains one of Michigan’s largest art collections and displays art across our campuses.”
