Banned books inspire art

The MLK Library is currently hosting a fabulous solo art exhibit by Dana Ellyn.  This exhibit is appropriately titled “Banned” and acts as a visual statement regarding Ellyn’s feelings about classic, controversial books that have a history of being “challenged and declared prohibited” from the public.  “Banned” is on display through July 31 on the first floor of the MLK Library (near the information desk) and coincides with the annual conference of the American Library Association (June 42-July 30).
Dana Ellyn’s work is often opinionated and the story told in “Banned” challenges myths related to religion, politics and what it means to be a woman.   Ellyn places a great amount of importance on the content and meaning of her paintings.  She is fond of telling stories and loves the painting process.  A few years ago Dana Ellyn devised a plan to read and re-read classic novels from popular lists such as ‘100 Books You Should Have Read in High School’, ‘100 Most Read Books’ or ‘100 Best Books of All Time’.  Each painting in “Banned” is inspired by a classic novel that has either appeared on various ‘banned’ lists throughout the years or has been ridiculed for inappropriate content.

The first painting in the “Banned” exhibit is entitled “When You Read This Book, You’re Reading with Mao” and it’s novel counterpart is George Orwell’s “1984”.  “1984” was banned because of it’s ‘immoral’ topics and ‘pro-communist’ ideas.  Ellyn’s painting was inspired by a famous WWII propaganda poster called “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Hitler”.  The poster was designed to encourage car pooling and gas conservation during the war.  Ellyn’s painting “When You Read This Book, You’re Reading with Mao” depicts a wide eyed man wearing an army green uniform.  He has an angry expression on his face and is waving a copy of Orwell’s book in the air.

“The Books” is another displayed painting and is influenced by the movie “The Birds”.  In this painting Dana Ellyn remarks on her amazement at the number of books that have been challenged and banned under the pretense of protecting kids.  “The Books” portrays a woman (bearing a striking resemblance to Tippi Hedren) and two children running from a group of flying books (instead of birds).  Ellyn’s “Princess and the Pup” painting is based on Katherine Paterson’s “Bridge to Terabithia”, which ranked #28 on ALA’s list of top 100 banned/challenged books of 2000-2009.  It was banned for ‘offensive language’ and promoting ‘Satanism’, ‘secular humanism’ and/or ‘new age religion’.  This painting commemorates the queen of Terabithia and her dog, Prince Terrien.  “Princess and the Pup” features a young girl wearing a tilting crown on her head and a royal cape.  She holds a flower that also slants in the same direction as her crown.  A loyal puppy (also wearing a crown) sits next to her.

There are many more paintings featured in the “Banned” exhibit.  Two of my favorites are inspired by Judy Blume’s book, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”.  One is a self portrait of Dana Ellyn titled “Are You There God? It’s Me , Dana”.  Apparently a young Ellyn would often look up at the sky and question whether there was a god ‘up there’.  Other notable books represented in this exhibit are, “Fahrenheit 451”, “A Clockwork Orange”, “Lolita”, “Animal Farm”, “The Chocolate War” and “A Color Purple”.  Dana Ellyn’s “Banned” combines the art of painting and literature with a controversial edge.  I left this exhibit contemplating the ridiculous nature of censorship and deciding it is time to make a summer reading list.  Check out “Banned” at the MLK library before the end of the month!

“Banned” through July 31, MLK Library, 901 G Street, NW, Washington, DC  20001, (202) 727-1111