United Poultry Concerns
Promoting the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl

PO Box 150 Machipongo, VA 23405-0150
(757) 678-7875 • FAX (757) 678-5070
www.upc-online.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 8, 1999 Contact: Karen Davis 757-678-7875

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."