The Colorado town of Vail has settled a lawsuit brought by Danielle SeeWalker, a Denver-based Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation whose residency was canceled last year after she posted a pro-Palestine painting to social media.
That painting, titled G for Genocide, features a female figure garbed in a keffiyeh and sought to align the liberation movements of Palestinian and Indigenous peoples. After she posted an image of that painting to her Instagram, Vail’s Art in Public Places revoked her residency, attributing its decision to “concerns” about “the potential politicizing of the public art program.”
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SeeWalker told the Art Newspaper at the time that Vail officials had mentioned that they had received complaints from Jewish members of the community regarding the painting, which SeeWalker said was not made for the residency program.
The American Civil Liberties Union subsequently sued Vail on SeeWalker’s behalf, alleging that the town had violated her First Amendment rights.
Earlier this month, Vail reached a settlement with Walker. According to the ACLU, as part of the settlement, SeeWalker will now be able to hold a powwow in the town for the next five years. Additionally, Vail will initiate “a non-public community forum on Israel and Palestine that includes members of Vail’s Jewish community, Palestinian community, Muslim community, and other faith and community leaders,” per the ACLU.
The artist said in a statement, “While Vail has not formally or publicly apologized for the cancellation of my artist residency and the subsequent harm the cancellation has caused me, I think the fact that they have agreed to this settlement and these important policy changes shows the town of Vail knew they were in the wrong. I was unfairly censored and characterized as antisemitic and that could not be further from the truth.”
In a statement to Vail Daily, the town said, ““The town is committed to promoting diverse programming through its Art in Public Places efforts, as well as supporting underrepresented artists. Over the past year, new policies have been created and adopted for Vail’s program to ensure clarity and a positive experience for both the town and participating artists. The town wishes Danielle SeeWalker well and looks forward to continuing its path of providing robust, engaging and inclusive art events and installations.”