Entertainment
Public Divided Over Smithsonian’s Exhibition of Bill Cosby’s Art Collection

Quilts from the Bill and Camille Cosby collection hang at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in Washington in this Nov. 6, 2014, file photo. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (TheStar.com) —Dozens of emails and comments left at the Smithsonian Institution show the public appears to be sharply divided over an exhibition featuring Bill Cosby’s art collection, which the museum has stood behind since the comedian admitted obtaining drugs to give to women with whom he wanted to have sex.
The Smithsonian has received 35 emails about the exhibit in the month of July alone as of Wednesday, with the vast majority calling for the National Museum of African Art to take down its “Conversations” exhibit. The display, which is set to run through January, features Cosby’s African-American art collection paired with African art. A few thanked the Smithsonian for keeping the exhibit on view.
In a comment book at the exhibit, however, visitors have left mostly positive messages spanning 74 pages.
“Art is art. This is something worth seeing,” one visitor wrote in a comment signed MC. “I’m glad the Smithsonian had the guts to keep the Cosby collection. Bravo!”
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