The Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth has gained attention in recent days for promoting child pornography in "Diaries of Home," an exhibit that, according to the city website, "features works by twelve women and nonbinary artists who explore the multilayered concepts of family, community, and home."
The Danbury Institute, a public policy collective of churches and other religious groups, has been spearheading the campaign to get those pornographic pictures removed.
"It's egregious," says Chief Communications Officer Sharayah Colter. "We first heard about this story from The Dallas Express … and were shocked that there were naked children shown in art exhibits at the museum. To do our due diligence, we went to check it out and make sure and confirm that that was happening, and indeed, it was."
In fact, "it was even worse than was reported," she adds.
In an open letter to the museum, dozens of pastors, religious liberty groups, and concerned citizens pointed out that the "images are presented under the guise of art, but in reality, they sexualize children and exploit their innocence."
Colter says that public outrage appears to have paid off.
"The Dallas Express put out a story on January 6th saying that a warrant has been issued and executed regarding the images of child pornography and that they were secured as potential evidence," she relays. "The story said that they will not be visible to the public while that investigation is pending, so as far as we know at this point, it seems like the images are not visible."
That, she says "is really good news."
While Colter's grassroots organization celebrates this victory, she says it is important for Christians to stay diligent and speak out when something is wrong, because silence about things like child exploitation helps contribute to their normalization.
The museum has still yet to respond to The Dansbury Institute.
