In choosing to exclude Joseph’s photos from the show, Hall said, “This decision is not intended to be a declaration of what is or is not art, nor is it meant to set a standard for the art that can be displayed or discussed in a classroom under a professor’s careful guidance.”

Art professor Kayb Carpenter Joseph’s exhibit, Lotus Eaters, has overtaken the art gallery in Kresge Library, but only part of the presentation is up for display. The back wall remains totally blank with a placard explaining that the intended work was “not approved to be shown at this time.”

Two full-length nude photographs which Joseph created for one wall of the gallery have been left unused and away from the public eye.

According to Joseph, the school’s administration and the Kresge Library as well as the art department had different understandings of what could be displayed in the art gallery in the library. “There were different ideas as to what was acceptable art on Covenant’s campus,” said Jeff Hall, the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

“I became aware of the desire to use photographs of unclothed models in this show at the end of the fall term and attempted to respond as expeditiously as possible,” said Hall. Because there was no settled policy about nude art, he said he used the standard of “limiting public showings to the types of art which could be produced in our student studios.”

While nude art has been shown before on Covenant’s campus, Hall explained that unlike a sculpture or a painting, a photograph requires a fully unclothed model, making it inappropriate for display on campus.