Museum’s Mock-Trial

Will Examine Actual Law

RIDGEFIELD — The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art invites the public to participate in a compelling event in conjunction with the exhibition “Art at the Edge of the Law” on Sunday, June 24.

In the form of a dramatic mock trial, “Closing Arguments” will feature attorney and poet Lawrence Russ and the Honorable Lizbeth Gonzalez. Mr Russ will present closing arguments to a jury of audience volunteers in favor of as well as against the legality of works presented in the exhibition. Presiding over this unique twist on the usual courtroom proceedings will be New York City Judge Lizbeth Gonzalez.

Exhibition curator and assistant director Richard Klein will play the role of defendant — the person responsible for exhibiting the work in question. On a previous date, event organizers debated over which of the many provocative works in the exhibition should be the focus on the trial, and settled on a sculpture by the artist Tom Sachs.

It is illegal in the state of Connecticut to posses a shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches or one in which the overall length is less than 26 inches. Mr Sachs’ piece, which is a functioning shotgun, literally goes to the edge of the law with a barrel length of exactly 18 inches. Each of his guns is crudely hand-made with materials including wooden police barricades.  Each gun is then fired once to ensure its function as a lethal weapon.

In an interesting turn of events which mirrors the artist’s critique on consumer culture and violence, Mr Sachs’ dealer, Mary Boone, was arrested last year for allowing gallery visitors at the artists opening to take home live ammunition.

“Art at the Edge of the Law” will explore the fascinating and often difficult terrain of art that probes, or in some cases actually transgresses, the law. Far from glorifying illegal behavior, the artists in the exhibition seek to illuminate the gray areas where one’s belief in freedom of expression clashes with the necessary control that government must wield for social order.

The Aldrich Museum is at 258 Main Street (Route 35) in Ridgefield. “Closing Arguments” will run from 4 to 6 pm, and the cost is $10 per person. Call 203-438-4519 for additional information.