"In the fall of 1993 police began systematically arresting artists who displayed or sold their own original art (paintings, limited edition prints, photographs and sculptures) on the streets of New York City. " Why are artists being arrested you ask?
"Within the art world itself, the motivation for the arrests is protection of a cultural monopoly. The 'gallery/museum system' depends on artists and collectors being kept as distant from each other as possible. If artists can directly access the public without the approval or control of art dealers, curators, museum directors and critics, it might undermine the false aesthetic and economic structure of this 'exclusive' system. The public could then make its own judgements about what kind of art to appreciate or collect rather than being manipulated by 'art experts' who are themselves the sole beneficiaries of this system."

Interested in knowing more?... www.openair.org/alerts/art...artfaq.html

What gets me is.."artwork is confiscated, bundled into plastic garbage bags and held at a police warehouse until it is either destroyed or sold at the monthly police auction."

God Bless Amerika