OUR COMMUNITY
A
few weeks ago,
Palestinian flags were
posted facing out-
ward in the windows of some
art studios at the Cranbrook
Academy of Art. The flags
were reportedly removed
on Nov. 4 at the direction of
Cranbrook Academy’s admin-
istration.
A subsequent message to
the Cranbrook community
from its president, Aimeclaire
Roche, and Jeff Suzik, director
of schools, explained that “…
Given the collective size, scope
and positioning of the flags along
a main thoroughfare on campus,
these displays had a threaten-
ing and unwelcoming impact
on members of our community.
“On Saturday, the director of
the Academy and I communicat-
ed with our Academy graduate
students about messaging in our
common spaces and the impact
of these outwardly facing dis-
plays on our community, and
they were removed from these
common spaces …
“The decision to remove the
displays is one that is aligned
with our past practices and
our respect for the many con-
stituents of our community.
Institutionally, we do not take a
public position on political caus-
es or conflicts. Our long-standing
practice has been to keep the
common, shared areas of our
campus free of political messag-
ing or activities. Moreover, politi-
cal messages could be interpreted
as political statements made on
behalf of Cranbrook …”
Soon afterward, a group
of more than 200 Cranbrook
Academy students and alum-
ni sent a letter protesting the
removal of the flags, proclaim-
ing support for the Palestinian
people and excoriating Israel.
The letter did not mention the
brutal Hamas attack on Israel
on Oct. 7.
An excerpt from the stu-
dents’ protest letter states:
“We, the undersigned, rep-
resenting a majority of the
2024-2025 student body at
Cranbrook Academy of Art,
with support from alumni,
write to establish our unwav-
ering solidarity with the
Palestinian people in their
eight decades of impassioned
and fervent resistance for lib-
eration against the settler colo-
nial ideology of Zionism and
the occupation of their land by
the Israeli apartheid ethnostate
… Cranbrook is making a
choice to erase the Palestinian
identity from public life, an
explicitly political statement
that betrays the plurality that
the Academy allegedly cham-
pions.”
CRANBROOK’S
STATEMENT
This week, Cranbrook’s com-
munications staff declined
to answer specific questions
about the flags and the poten-
tial impact of this situation on
Jewish and Israeli students.
However, they responded with
Administration orders Palestinian flags in studios to be removed.
Controversy at Cranbrook
Academy of Art
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
30 | NOVEMBER 23 • 2023
J
N
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
Cranbrook Art Academy students displayed
Palestinian flags on campus.