This story originally appeared in The River Reporter by Sonia Ahmed
ROSCOE and NARROWSBURG, NY — An art installation at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) has brought discussion of censorship and free speech to the forefront.
The installation, called “Crazy Wall,” is an evidence-board display by artist Seth Carnes with strings connecting legal documents, news articles, notes and pictures of a previously planned mural in the hamlet of Roscoe, located in the Town of Rockland.
The now-removed mural by Carnes was intended to display the words “time to unperson” in a light font on top of a contrasting dark background on furniture store Sunday Home in Roscoe.
Carnes got as far as painting “to unperson” on the building before receiving backlash from community member Phil Vallone, former president of Rolling V Bus Corp, causing him to stop work. Subsequently, signage citations were issued by the Town of Rockland to Daniel Sferrazza, Sunday Home’s building owner.
The mural has now been painted over, and Carnes has since filed a complaint with federal court, citing that this has violated the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA), which prohibits destruction of a protected artwork.
Ongoing litigation
Recently, Sferrazza’s lawyers and the Town of Rockland’s legal team have filed motions to dismiss the case in public letters to Judge Phillip M. Halpern.
Sferrazza’s attorney, Michael McGuire, alleges in his letter that the words “to unperson,” which was what was painted on the store at the time of destruction, doesn’t fall under the definition of visual art that is protected by VARA.
“The words “to unperson” does not constitute a work of Visual Art within the meaning of VARA.” the letter reads, adding that only those words were removed from the building.
McGuire’s letter added further that to be protected under VARA, Carnes’s work must use “words of recognized stature,” which he argues does not include the phrase “to unperson.”
Carnes’s lawyer, Jeffrey Kinkle, addresses these claims in a separate letter to the judge.
“The colors, paint type, typeface and size, as well as the full phrase ‘time to unperson’ itself, were all aesthetic and conceptual choices made by the artist in creating and installing the mural. The phrase ‘to unperson’ is just one element of the artwork, not the entire artwork,” Kinkle’s letter reads.
The letter adds that there is no difference between text-based and non text-based artwork protections under VARA, and that much text-based artwork has been protected under this law.
As for recognized stature, Kinkle alleged that the fact that professional artists, institutions and journalists have recognized it qualifies the mural as having that distinction.
The word “unperson” comes from George Orwell’s “1984,” a novel about an oppressive government that rewrites history and censors language to exert control over its citizens. In “1984,” an “unperson” is someone who is removed from existence via edits to the visual and written record.
Lee Rowland, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), told the River Reporter that it is ironic that a mural drawing from a novel surrounding censorship issues would be censored.
“Roscoe needed this mural more than any of us knew,” she said.
In another letter to Judge Halpern requesting a motion to dismiss, the Town of Rockland claims the town “did not cite, fine, prosecute, arrest, or otherwise enforce its sign ordinance against Plaintiff,” but rather, merely issued one citation to Sferrazza.
“The Town Supervisor did nothing beyond taking one call from Plaintiff [Carnes].” the letter reads, adding that the town did not tell Carnes to stop painting or prevent him from getting a signage permit.
“His decision not to finish the mural does not confer standing because it was a self-inflicted-inflicted [sic] injury resulting from his personal choice,” the letter states.
In a letter separate from all previous ones, Kinkle claims that the town asked Carnes to change the mural, and threatened fines and imprisonment through a third party, that party being Sferrazza.
“This is not a standing defect; it is simply the mechanism of the Town’s censorship. The First Amendment does not permit government officials to avoid review by directing coercive pressure at the intermediary they believe controls the speaker’s forum rather than at the speaker himself,” the letter reads.
As for permits, Kinkle’s letter alleges that Carnes did not need a permit, as the Town of Rockland code exempts art, political signage, protest statements and opinions from requiring one. What requires a permit is advertisements, which the mural was not, according to the letter.
“I really don’t think the town has a legal leg to stand on,” Rowland commented, citing previous Supreme Court decisions as preventing the use of signage codes in this manner.
While a sign code might seem small to some, Rowland stated that this regulation “can very easily be used as a mass tool of censorship.”
Rowland commended Carnes for standing up for his First Amendment rights, which she alleged were being violated.
“We need examples of that courage to get us through this and maintain our democracy and liberty,” she said.
Community interpretations of the mural
Carnes described his intention behind the mural as being open-ended, likening it to a “poetic mirror” and an “inkblot test.” The artwork is designed to garner multiple interpretations.
Carnes said that, during the mural’s reception, feedback from the community was positive, with many interpreting the mural’s meaning as being a “release [of] one’s self from ego and attachments.”
Ariel Shanberg, executive director of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA), told the River Reporter that he, without any context from Carnes, would’ve interpreted the mural as “a call to get outside of yourself, to unwind, to loosen up. If anything, an invitation to chill.”
Paul Giordano, Sunday Home co-owner, echoed Shanberg’s sentiments, stating that when Carnes first proposed the mural to him, he thought the phrase meant to “chill out” and “get rid of negative energy.”.
However, one community member did not find the mural “chill” at all.
“Listen, common sense has got to prevail somewhere in today’s society,” Vallone told the River Reporter. “It’s a small town, man. You don’t need any thought-provoking bullsh!t like that.”
Other interpretations from community members include that men should leave their wives and become homosexual, and that one could buy interior design objects without judgement, according to Carnes’s artist’s statement.
Elizabeth Larison, arts and culture advocacy director of the NCAC, told the River Reporter that because the mural is open to interpretation, it can create some strong reactions from community members.
“It leaves people unsettled, or curious, or questioning,” she said. “Their discomfort shouldn’t mean that the artist [Carnes] doesn’t get to show his work.”
Giordano described being surprised by some community members’ reactions to the mural.
“We really thought it was a positive thing we were doing for the community,” he said. “It wasn’t racist, it wasn’t antisemitic, it wasn’t homophobic, it didn’t reference any political party, it wasn’t political.”
He continued, likening the murals’ big font as having a similar effect as a billboard. “It was a marketing tool to bring traffic and business into the town; that’s all it was,”
‘Crazy Wall’ installation
In front of the installation, there is a binder titled “Miniluv,” which organizes all the documents and pictures from the wall in one spot. This binder refers to Carnes’s Miniluv series, which started at Narrowsburg’s Deep Water Literary Festival in 2024, and ultimately led to the creation of the mural and multiple exhibits at the DVAA.
Before viewers enter the arts alliance, they can see remnants of the former project, with phrases like “unperson”, “upstate joycamp awaits” and “ownlife” pasted on a window next to an entrance.
“It’s a quite detailed map that still does little to capture my experience in a territory of serious absurdity,” Carnes said about the “Crazy Wall” installation, which is currently on display at the DVAA for their Revolution theme until July 26.
Shanberg commented that “Crazy Wall” fit the theme of revolution well because revolution is a disruption, and that “while the mural wasn’t intended to disrupt, the ensuing conversation-or lack thereof-has led to a disruption.”
Shanberg added that community reaction to the mural has generally been surprise, “surprise to the lack of openness and communication from those who objected to it.”
“In many ways, “Crazy Wall” does look like a crazy wall, but it also maps out a practice of resistance. For the public to see what resistance looks like is really important,” he commented.
“Just because somebody doesn’t like something, doesn’t mean it can’t exist.”
Looking ahead
For Sunday Home, Giordano said that he is planning to get a new mural painted on the building.’
“Something to perhaps encourage unity and getting along and peace,” he said, adding that the mural will be contemporary and focused on symbols this time instead of words.
Carnes currently has smaller extensions of “Crazy Wall” in Roscoe’s Pepacton Grocery, the Roscoe Collective, and The Hound Books. The “Crazy Wall” installation currently in the DVAA will move to New Memories, an indie art space in Parksville, in July.
“We’re excited to not see the conversation go away, and ‘Crazy Wall’ is about having a conversation,” Shanberg said.
Editor’s Note: Town of Rockland supervisor Rob Eggleton and Code Enforcement Officer Glenn Gabbard did not return requests for comment. Sferrazza’s attorney McGuire said they could not comment due to ongoing litigation.
Image: A close-up of the “Crazy Wall” installation at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance. (Sonia Ahmed)