The contemporary artist James Denmark is faced with many issues in making a living as an artist. He has been greatly influenced by Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden, and his work imitates their styles of painting. He paints historical scenes from a contemperary persepective, and strives to paint in a style that is uniquely African-American. Denmark deals with a problem similar to many African-American artists these days. His galleries and shows are not well documented. Apparently many artists whose work deals with race are excluded by the media. This is a sort of racism that should not be ignored. Join discussion...

The Museum of Danish Cartoon Art in Copenhagen has decided to purchase the 12 characitures of Muhammed that sparked riots around the globe when published by European newspapers. “We hope we can secure all of the works to preserve them for the future. The caricatures have become a part of Danish history,” says Royal Library spokesperson Jytte Kjaergaard. Depicting the prophet's head upon a dog's body, or illustrating him holding a bomb in his turban, the works are certainly offensive; the issue, however, provokes one to ask "what is freedom of expression, and to what extent may this concept be taken?" Men involved were convicted of inciting race hate and jailed for years, but are they rightly condemned? They only hoped to excercise their rights. On the other hand, more than fifty people were killed in the riots which the cartoons' publication caused. The Danish Media Museum, connected with the cartoon museum, hopes to create an exhibit with these questions in mind. "We would like to show them together with media reports about the publication and the protests against it,” Ervin Nielsen, director of the Media Museum, says. They hope to present all the facts not to provoke, but to inform. Join discussion...