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The Bonfire Of Liberties: Censorship Of The Humanities
Vexatious, bothersome, infuriating, frightening--censorship is with us always, and it poses a critical challenge to us all, to take a stand for values and traditions that we hold dear. Sometimes, indeed, it forces us to choose between values. Highlighting the impact of censorship as applied to the humanities through the ages, this exhibit emphasizes modern times, with surprises on every panel. Each panel has a subject title and a quotation concerning censorship or a censored work.
View exhibit online
Panel topics include:
- Forms of censorship
- Public demands for censorship
- Freedom to read
- Relgious censorship
- Censorship of philosophy
- Drama and theatre
- Literature
- Children’s books
- Art and art history
- Biography and autobiography
- World History
- American history
- Women and other minorities
- Censorship of the Bible, of Shakespeare, of Huckleberry Finn
Exhibit format
18 freestanding panels (9 double-sided panels) of photographs, drawings, and texts. Measuring 28” wide x 38” high, panels attach to wooden poles to stand 78” tall.
Shipping weight (3 crates): 285 lbs.
Floor space required: 12’ 6” x 5’
Supplemental materials:
- A brochure with an illustrated essay on the causes and effects of censorship. 50 copies free with exhibit.
- A book list that challenges all viewers to read banned books. 50 copies free with exhibit.
- A poster with a deceptively beautiful scene of censorship. 5 copies free with exhibit.
Optional materials (available on request):
- Video Overview, Walter Cronkite surveys 500 years of censorship.

