Sunday, October 17, 2010

oh, the things art students will do

Animal Cruelty, or Art?

GAINESVILLE, Fla., April 5 [1996] (Associated Press)

A college senior who dipped 40 live baby mice into resin, then cut the material into cubes for an art project, was charged with animal cruelty today.

The student, Vincent Gothard, a 25-year-old fine arts major at the University of Florida, faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.

Mr. Gothard's lawyer, Robe Rush, defended the art project, saying the mice died instantly and were destined to become food for other animals anyway. He also maintained that the project was " clearly artistic expression and probably protected by the First Amendment."