Phoenix modern art institute apologizes, removes blackface exhibit

PHOENIX — A Phoenix not-for-profit that displays modern art apologized over the weekend and removed an exhibit that featured an artist wearing blackface.

In a Facebook post, Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art curator Ted Decker said the decision was made after the group received online backlash.

“I sincerely apologize for upset and pain caused by my decision,” he wrote. “The images in question represent an error in judgement (sic) and my lack of awareness.”

Many people took to the institute’s page to complain about the exhibit.

“Disappointed in the leadership of this institution and their willingness to provide a platform for exhibitions of racial violence,” commenter Lauren Mislove wrote.

“Exhibits showcasing ‘blackface’ are never okay. Please side with your community and reconsider this exhibit,” another commenter, Jenni Linzy, wrote.

The artist behind the works, Bob Carey, also apologized in a Facebook post.

“This series was never meant to cause pain or offense to anyone,” he wrote. “My photographs have always been about psychological self-exploration and transformation, based on my personal experiences and perceptions.”

Carey added that the images were created “in good faith, and not intended to denigrate any one person or group of people; they were specifically intended show (sic) our common humanity.”

The art was displayed inside the institute, which is located near Fourth and Roosevelt streets in the popular Roosevelt Row area of downtown.

Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup in which a white person paints their skin darker. Historically, the actors would portray black people as simpleminded and other offensive stereotypes.

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