Sarasota artist Pat Kaufman had her painting denied for display in Longboat Key town hall this week, due to the nudity in the painting. Kaufman submitted her painting, ‘Circus #2, Word Slingers,’ to town hall last week, as a response to the town’s request that it was looking for work from local artists for its next exhibit in Commission chambers.

The French spray-paint artist known as MTO who painted the “Fast Life” mural on the building owned by Scott Gerber and his ‘Tube Dude’ business, has now painted another mural on the Sarasota Architectural Salvage building.

The “Fast Life” mural is gone; whitewashed due to censorship over its perceived meaning. It was a skilled work of art that showed the

Kowal
diversity of different cultures and was highly successful in engaging the public, attracting both acclaim and condemnation. For our community that is ‘embracing our differences,’ the censorship removed the opportunity for growth and the rejection of hatred and prejudices.