A row has erupted after a life-drawing class in north London was forced to make its nude models wear clothes due to complaints. The Hampstead Community Centre, where the class has been held for over 30 years, received complaints about the session being held between two children’s sessions and ultimately decided to relocate the classes.
Organisers claim that the decision is a “puritanical” attitude towards artistic creation and that making the models wear clothes would defeat the purpose of the class. The group, led by art teacher Tony Swann, has been holding the class for decades and has never faced complaints before.
Swann argues that relocating the classes to the evening or changing the venue would be a more significant disruption to the sessions than allowing the models to remain nude. He claims that the centre’s decision is “weird” and that it seems like a “Taliban attitude”.
Many of the class’s attendees and models have criticised the centre’s decision, likening it to the Taliban and accusing it of being “prudish”. However, a spokesman for the centre has insisted that they were not being prudish in their decision and that they are comfortable with nudity in certain contexts.
The row is centred around “safeguarding concerns” raised by an unknown party. The class had always been held between children’s sessions before and never faced complaints. Swann claims that the centre’s decision is unnecessary and that it will have a significant impact on the class’s attendance and purpose.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/row-nude-models-told-put-174640673.html