by Tula Connell, Apr 14, 2011
Looks like Maine taxpayers will foot a hefty bill for Gov. Paul LePage’s blatant partisanship. Last month in a stealth move, LePage unilaterally removed an 11-panel mural from the state’s Department of Labor, saying its depictions of Maine working people was “anti-business.”
Now, Washington Post reporter Jason Horowitz found that because federal funding contributed to the mural, if LePage does not exhibit the art in an appropriate government building,
he must reimburse the state’s unemployment trust fund account 63.39 percent of the “current fair market value,” according to the Labor Department. Given the painting’s new cultural significance, LePage may unintentionally have taken on the role of a political Larry Gagosian, the art dealer who has a knack for driving up prices. Tom Denenberg, the chief curator of the Portland Museum of Art, said that while he wouldn’t put a dollar amount on the mural’s appreciation, the governor’s focus “without a doubt dramatically increases its importance.”
The mural also included a depiction of Maine resident and first female Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, and its removal prompted Mount Holyoke College President Lynn Pasquarella to write a scathing letter to LePage saying his action “conjures thoughts of rewriting history prevalent in totalitarian regimes.” Perkins was a Mount Holyoke graduate.
Judy Taylor, the local artist who won a competition to design the mural, said LePage’s depiction of the art as akin to North Korean propaganda was particularly unfortunate. Her father was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in the Korean War.
