OSU Professor Chalk-Protest Marks 10 Years of documenta 14's '34 Exercises of Freedom'
On September 14, 2026, a faculty member from Ohio State University wrote 'EXERCISE FREEDOM OHIO SEPTEMBER 14' in chalk outside the Wexner Center for the Arts to protest the university's prohibition on chalking and to commemorate the tenth anniversary of documenta 14's '34 Exercises of Freedom.' This initiative, which was part of documenta 14's Parliament of Bodies, took place in Greece in September 2016 and featured notable figures such as Antonio Negri. The ACLU is contesting OSU's chalking ban, claiming it is unconstitutional, with David Carey from ACLU Ohio indicating they are ready to file a lawsuit. The professor, associated with OSU's Department of Arts Administration, describes the act as a demonstration of academic freedom, encouraging dialogue about visibility, voice, and the public domain.
Key facts
- The chalk action took place on September 14, 2026, at 7:45am outside the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University.
- It marked the 10th anniversary of documenta 14's '34 Exercises of Freedom,' which began on September 14, 2016, in Athens, Greece.
- The original program was part of documenta 14's Parliament of Bodies, held at the Athens Municipality Arts Center in Parko Eleftherias.
- documenta 14 opened in April 2017, months after the September 2016 public program.
- The program involved forty-five participants and avoided conventional distinctions between talk and performance, theory and action, criticism and art.
- The chalk protest addressed OSU's ban on campus sidewalk chalking, which the ACLU calls unconstitutional and a First Amendment violation.
- David Carey, managing legal director of ACLU Ohio, said the organization is prepared to file a lawsuit over the ban.
- The professor is a faculty member in OSU's Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy and a board member of AAUP-OSU.
Entities
Artists
- Antonio Negri
- Niillas Somby
- Oskar Hansen
- Andreas Angelidakis
- David Carey
Institutions
- documenta 14
- Parliament of Bodies
- Athens Municipality Arts Center
- Ohio State University
- Wexner Center for the Arts
- ACLU
- ACLU Ohio
- AAUP-OSU
- Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy
- Potere Operaio
- Autonomia Operaia
Locations
- Athens
- Greece
- Parko Eleftherias
- Ohio
- Columbus
- Norway
- Spain
- Argentina
- Chile
- Rojava
- Turkey
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Italy