FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 8, 1999 | Contact: Karen Davis 757-678-7875
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DAVID BEITZEL GALLERY CANCELS PERDUE EXHIBITION
United Poultry Concerns Condemned "Masterpieces in Chicken"
Children drawing replicas of parts of dead chickens
for Perdue "nuggets" is not art, it's child abuse
Machipongo - A "Masterpieces In Chicken" exhibition scheduled to be
held on January 12, 2000, at the David Beitzel Gallery in New
York City was cancelled today in response to a protest launched
by United Poultry Concerns yesterday. This exhibition, sponsored
by Perdue Farms, would have awarded prizes to children between
the ages of three and twelve for drawings of chicken nuggets in
connection with a Perdue marketing project.
David Beitzel informed United Poultry Concerns today that the
gallery will not host the event or rent gallery space for the
event as was planned. A barrage of faxes, letters, and express
mail demanded that the David Beitzel Gallery cancel its
involvement with Perdue. We are delighted with Mr. Beitzel's
decision.
If the David Beitzel Gallery had not cancelled the exhibition,
United Poultry Concerns announced it would hold a protest
demonstration in front of the gallery on January 12th. The
protest would have included banners, photos, signs, costumes, and
megaphones proclaiming the fact that Perdue Farms and the David
Beitzel Gallery exploited kids and "art" to sell dead birds and
dirty products to innocent toddlers and school children.
"We take this matter very seriously," says Karen Davis, president
of United Poultry Concerns. "Perdue Farms is exploiting children
by pretending to seem like a good corporate citizen that cares
about kids, literacy, and the arts. This is poppycock."
"We believe that the David Beitzel Gallery simply was not aware
that Perdue Farms has a record of violence, corruption,
pollution, and dishonorable business practices," Davis says. "We
are pleased to acknowledge Mr. Beitzel's decision to remove the
gallery from the orbit of Perdue Farms and the prostitution of
art for profit."
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