Event
Penn History Film Conversation
Town Destroyer with Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman
![Penn History Film Conversation Event](/sites/default/files/2023-04/e%20Film%20Conversations_Town%20Destroyer.png)
Showing of film Town Destroyer (52 mins.) followed by conversation with the two directors, Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman.
Town Destroyer examines a heated controversy over Depression-era WPA murals painted by leftwing artist Victor Arnautoff in a San Francisco public high school, which depict George Washington not only as a military leader and President, but also as a slaveowner and destroyer of Native peoples. The documentary explores the politics of art and history at a time of polarized national debate over the power of images, racism, trauma, and what should be taught in schools. You can find more information about the film here: https://www.snitow-kaufman.org/the-mural-controversy/
Co-Sponsored by the Wolf Humanities Center; the Department of Art History; and The Education, Culture, and Society program at Penn GSE.