"Dirty Dancing" Causes a Dopey Debate About Art at a Swedish University

In an earlier article titled Dopey Swedes are inspired by a Dirty Dancing quote, I provided the following photograph from Karlstad University in Sweden.

Today I happened to come across a better photograph of the quote on the building.

The photograph was in an article in a the Swedish newspaper Värmlands Folkblad. the issue dated August 18, 2012. The article is titled Dirty Dancing -- konst skapar debatt, which means "Dirty Dancing -- Art Creates Debate".

Google translated the entire article as follows:

Bad art? Unworthy of a university? The artwork that is installed at the library at Karlstad University brings up emotions. "It is interesting, but I am surprised at some arguments," says Åsa Bergenheim, the director.

It is the sisters Moa and Mikaela Krestesen who, under the name Sisters of Jam, are behind the different artwork, which was first built in central Umeå. "Nobody puts baby in a corner" is a lightly paraphrased quote (in the movie "The" instead of "A") from the 1980s Dirty Dancing.

On August 29th, the letters will appear in neon colors - but already the debate is raging. Among other things, on the university's Facebook page. On Friday, the post of art had received 70 comments.

Some question the cost of SEK 170,000, others do not think it's art at all and again that it's bad art in that case.

- Urgent and embarrassing. Put the earmarked money on valuable messages for the students and the city, writes a female student.

The work is, however, defended by several writers, and the rector Åsa Bergenheim does not seem surprising to them:

"Firstly, I think it's fun and exciting that there is debate about art here at the university, we have 12,600 students and 1,200 employees so strange it would be otherwise. But I can be surprised at some of the arguments.

The principal then refers primarily to those who question whether it is at all about art, or those claiming that they can objectively judge that it is bad art.

"This is a work recommended by the State Art Council, and what is art about not lifting something out of context, placing it in a new environment, with a new shape and giving rise to new associations? It has been done for centuries.

• And the cost?

"Both of us and Karlstad municipality come from money earmarked for public decoration, so there is nothing that would otherwise have gone to education or the like.

This quote is on the university library?

I'd like to see a photograph of the sign when the neon colors are turned on.