Recently, I had the privilege of watching Chip Thomas complete his mural in Mancos, thrilled that our community would be home to such a beautiful representation of our corner of the West.

Now, it is being destroyed.

Apparently, bison genitalia is offensive.

We are surrounded by animal genitalia and no one complains. Unless we’re banding calves.

It seems incongruent that someone would suddenly be offended by bison bits. Is that really the reason or is there something less pleasant behind the prudishness?

We all know and love those bison. They are a piece of our local culture. They, in all of their majesty, remind us every day that we live in a special place.

Besides, Mancos prides itself on being a designated Creative District; having a Chip Thomas mural is an honor.

But most importantly it’s art. Art is subjective and not everyone has the same taste, but a person has put heart and soul into this mural, and it is wrong to destroy that. It is a matter of freedom of expression.

Being surrounded by art is medicine for the soul. We need more beauty in our world.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization writes: “Artistic freedom is the freedom to imagine, create and distribute diverse cultural expressions free of governmental censorship, political interference or the pressures of nonstate actors. It includes the right of all citizens to have access to these works and is essential for the well-being of societies.”

Suzanne Strazza

Cortez