In Florida, this art teacher fired after showing Michelangelo’s “David” to her students

MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP The principal of an art school in Florida, lost her job on Monday March 20 following parents complained that their children had been shown the sculpture “David” by Michelangelo. (Pictured: Replica of Michelangelo’s David in Piazza della Signoria on May 11, 2018 in Florence.)

MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

The principal of an art school in Florida, lost her job on Monday March 20 following parents complained that their children had been shown the sculpture “David” by Michelangelo. (Pictured: Replica of Michelangelo’s David in Piazza della Signoria on May 11, 2018 in Florence.)

ART – Michelangelo, an obscene artist? Tallahassee, Fla. Classical School principal Hope Carrasquilla lost her job Monday, March 20, following parents complained their children, ages 11-12, were shown the sculpture « David » of the Italian Renaissance architect, dating from the 16th century. One of them described it in particular as “pornographic”.

Hope Carrasquilla told the HuffPost that the situation was a little more complicated than that explaining that the usual protocol is to send a letter to parents before students are exposed to such classic works of art. Because of a “series of communication errors”the mail was not sent to the parents of students, and some complained, continued the arts teacher.

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“Totally upset”

The former director still told the American daily Tallahassee Democrat that the school is required by law to teach lessons in Renaissance art to sixth-grade students, usually 11- and 12-year-olds, as part of the annual curriculum. But three parents complained that their children had been made uncomfortable by the lesson on Michelangelo’s David.

One of them was “downright upset” continued Hope Carrasquilla, and “felt that his child should not see these works”. After these complaints, the school’s board of directors decided on Monday to give the principal the choice of resigning or being fired following less than a year in office.

Michelangelo’s marble sculpture of the biblical character David was made between 1501 and 1504, originally for an Italian cathedral. It is now kept at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.

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