“Writes” – A Burning Commentary on America’s Censorship Crisis
This urgent and powerful wall sculpture confronts one of the most pressing threats to American intellectual freedom: the unprecedented surge in book banning that has swept across the United States since 2021. Created by Dallas contemporary artist Christi Meril, “Writes” serves as both artistic statement and historical documentation, featuring a carefully curated collection of banned literary classics that speaks to the fragility of our constitutional right to free expression.
The Crisis Documented: PEN America has documented nearly 16,000 book bans in public schools nationwide since 2021, “a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.” The 2023-2024 school year alone witnessed over 10,000 instances of book bans affecting more than 4,000 unique titles, a staggering 200% increase from the previous year. According to the American Library Association, challenges to unique titles surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels ever documented by the organization. This contemporary censorship campaign has predominantly targeted books about race, LGBTQ+ topics, and works that address the complex realities young people face in the modern world.
The sculpture’s foundation is a vintage vinyl footstool from the 1950s, deliberately chosen to reference the last time America experienced such widespread literary censorship during the McCarthy era. The parallel is both intentional and historically accurate: PEN America specifically states that current book banning levels represent numbers “not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.” This comparison underscores how fear and ideology can drive efforts to control what Americans read and think, then as now.
Upon this historical foundation, Christi has arranged a stack of books that reads like a who’s-who of American literary achievement – and contemporary censorship targets. “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger was the most censored book in high schools and libraries between 1961 and 1982, challenged for its frank language and themes of adolescent alienation. It remains a frequent target today, appearing regularly on the American Library Association’s most challenged books lists. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee continues facing recent challenges,notably in 2021 when four teachers in Washington’s Mukilteo School District formally challenged the book, and in 2020 when California’s Burbank Unified School District removed it from required reading lists following parent complaints about racial language.
“The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck has faced challenges since the 1930s for its unflinching portrayal of economic inequality. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, called “trash and suitable only for the slums” upon its 1885 publication, was removed from Duluth, Minnesota schools in 2018 and continues facing modern challenges for its historical language. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, now a high school staple, was once shocking and has been banned in various locations since the 1920s. “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne complete the stack of adult literature that have all faced various challenges throughout their histories.
Most remarkably, the collection includes children’s books that have faced recent challenges: “Hop on Pop” by Dr. Seuss and “A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein” demonstrating how contemporary censorship reaches even into the youngest readers’ libraries, attempting to control imagination itself.
Crowning this literary cairn is a piece of charred wood retrieved from an extinguished campfire, its blackened surface bearing witness to the destructive power of flame. The burned wood serves as a visceral reminder of book burning throughout history from the Nazi bonfires of the 1930s to contemporary threats against libraries and librarians. An industrial nail, dipped in crushed glass, pierces the charred wood like a crystalline sword, suggesting both the violence inherent in censorship and the brilliant, refractive power of ideas that cannot be extinguished.
The title “Writes” operates as a triple entendre: it evokes the Bill of Rights and our constitutional protections for free expression; it references the fundamental act of writing that creates literature; and it sounds like “rights” reminding us that the freedom to read is a fundamental human right under attack.
The resin mounting secures these precious volumes while also suggesting preservation – the need to protect these works for future generations. The custom polished acrylic cleat system ensures the piece’s security while creating a floating effect that emphasizes the precarious nature of intellectual freedom.
This piece speaks directly to educators, librarians, students, parents, and all who believe in the power of literature to expand minds and foster empathy. It serves as both alarm bell and call to action, reminding viewers that the books we read shape who we become as individuals and as a society. The work particularly resonates with collectors of political art, freedom of expression advocates, and institutions committed to intellectual freedom.
“Writes” represents Christi Meril’s belief that art must engage with the urgent issues of our time. Like her signature cairn works that mark human presence in natural landscapes, this piece marks a crucial moment in American cultural history when the freedom to read faces unprecedented threats. The sculpture stands as testament to literature’s enduring power and a reminder that vigilance is required to protect the intellectual freedom that democracy demands.
“Writes” Mixed Media Wall Sculpture, 17h” x 18w” x 16d”, Banned Books & Charred Wood on 1950s Footstool
“Writes” – A Burning Commentary on America’s Censorship Crisis
This urgent and powerful wall sculpture confronts one of the most pressing threats to American intellectual freedom: the unprecedented surge in book banning that has swept across the United States since 2021. Created by Dallas contemporary artist Christi Meril, “Writes” serves as both artistic statement and historical documentation, featuring a carefully curated collection of banned literary classics that speaks to the fragility of our constitutional right to free expression.
The Crisis Documented: PEN America has documented nearly 16,000 book bans in public schools nationwide since 2021, “a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.” The 2023-2024 school year alone witnessed over 10,000 instances of book bans affecting more than 4,000 unique titles, a staggering 200% increase from the previous year. According to the American Library Association, challenges to unique titles surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels ever documented by the organization. This contemporary censorship campaign has predominantly targeted books about race, LGBTQ+ topics, and works that address the complex realities young people face in the modern world.
The sculpture’s foundation is a vintage vinyl footstool from the 1950s, deliberately chosen to reference the last time America experienced such widespread literary censorship during the McCarthy era. The parallel is both intentional and historically accurate: PEN America specifically states that current book banning levels represent numbers “not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.” This comparison underscores how fear and ideology can drive efforts to control what Americans read and think, then as now.
Upon this historical foundation, Christi has arranged a stack of books that reads like a who’s-who of American literary achievement – and contemporary censorship targets. “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger was the most censored book in high schools and libraries between 1961 and 1982, challenged for its frank language and themes of adolescent alienation. It remains a frequent target today, appearing regularly on the American Library Association’s most challenged books lists. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee continues facing recent challenges,notably in 2021 when four teachers in Washington’s Mukilteo School District formally challenged the book, and in 2020 when California’s Burbank Unified School District removed it from required reading lists following parent complaints about racial language.
“The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck has faced challenges since the 1930s for its unflinching portrayal of economic inequality. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, called “trash and suitable only for the slums” upon its 1885 publication, was removed from Duluth, Minnesota schools in 2018 and continues facing modern challenges for its historical language. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, now a high school staple, was once shocking and has been banned in various locations since the 1920s. “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne complete the stack of adult literature that have all faced various challenges throughout their histories.
Most remarkably, the collection includes children’s books that have faced recent challenges: “Hop on Pop” by Dr. Seuss and “A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein” demonstrating how contemporary censorship reaches even into the youngest readers’ libraries, attempting to control imagination itself.
Crowning this literary cairn is a piece of charred wood retrieved from an extinguished campfire, its blackened surface bearing witness to the destructive power of flame. The burned wood serves as a visceral reminder of book burning throughout history from the Nazi bonfires of the 1930s to contemporary threats against libraries and librarians. An industrial nail, dipped in crushed glass, pierces the charred wood like a crystalline sword, suggesting both the violence inherent in censorship and the brilliant, refractive power of ideas that cannot be extinguished.
The title “Writes” operates as a triple entendre: it evokes the Bill of Rights and our constitutional protections for free expression; it references the fundamental act of writing that creates literature; and it sounds like “rights” reminding us that the freedom to read is a fundamental human right under attack.
The resin mounting secures these precious volumes while also suggesting preservation – the need to protect these works for future generations. The custom polished acrylic cleat system ensures the piece’s security while creating a floating effect that emphasizes the precarious nature of intellectual freedom.
This piece speaks directly to educators, librarians, students, parents, and all who believe in the power of literature to expand minds and foster empathy. It serves as both alarm bell and call to action, reminding viewers that the books we read shape who we become as individuals and as a society. The work particularly resonates with collectors of political art, freedom of expression advocates, and institutions committed to intellectual freedom.
“Writes” represents Christi Meril’s belief that art must engage with the urgent issues of our time. Like her signature cairn works that mark human presence in natural landscapes, this piece marks a crucial moment in American cultural history when the freedom to read faces unprecedented threats. The sculpture stands as testament to literature’s enduring power and a reminder that vigilance is required to protect the intellectual freedom that democracy demands.
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