Revisionist art history: Maine’s governor sends a message about labor by removing a cherished mural

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/04/02/revisionist_art_history/


Governor Paul LePage said the 36-foot mural “sends a message that we’re one-sided, and I don’t want to send that message.’’ The mural was removed and taken to an undisclosed location. (Reuters)


By Renée Loth
April 2, 2011

GOVERNOR PAUL LePage of Maine and his staff don’t know much about history. Labor history, that is. And they don’t want anybody else to know, either.

Last weekend the governor ordered a 36-foot wide mural depicting scenes from Maine’s labor past removed from the state capitol in Augusta and taken to an undisclosed location. LePage, a colorful and pugnacious Tea Party favorite who has been governor for two months, is wasting no time letting the public know “which side are you on,’’ as the old labor hymn has it.

“I’m trying to send a message that the state of Maine looks at employees and employers equally, neutrally, and on balance,’’ he said. “The mural sends a message that we’re one-sided, and I don’t want to send that message.’’

He complained that the mural — which had been hanging in the state Department of Labor — omits the contributions of industry.

Uh-oh. Also on the state capitol grounds is the Maine State Museum, which celebrates “the historical origins of Maine’s resource-based industries and agriculture such as the granite quarrying, wood harvesting and the sea,’’ according to promotional materials. Exhibits include “The Lion,’’ an 1846 steam locomotive, and a full-size textile loom. Will LePage now cover these symbols of Maine’s industrial history in velvet drapes so as not to offend the state’s “neutral’’ sensibilities?

FULL story at link.