DISCOVER DC. . .NAKED

[UNDERNEWS]

STEVE SCHLICH, NAKED WASHINGTON - In February 2002, the Justice Department spent $8,000 on curtains to cover up one Art Deco aluminum breast. At that rate, it would cost millions to censor the hundreds of private parts on public display in Washington, D.C.-and none of them are real. The whole concept is offensive to me. . . like pulling a burka over free speech. But rather than scream about it. . . I flew to Washington and photographed over a hundred different subjects around the capital-mostly outdoor sculpture. The place is a virtual den of iniquity! In a leisurely single day, you can visit:

- The Court of Neptune, where a gallery of anatomically correct nymphs and tritons cavort in spraying water and full public view

- The Boy Scout Memorial, where an oversized naked man stalks a fully-clothed scout a few hundred feet from the White House

- The Library of Congress, where tastefully lurid art covers the walls and ceilings, featuring bare breasts and provocative titles such as “Corrupt Legislation” and “Anarchy"

Sad thing about it is our nations art is indeed under assault and at risk by the religious and ideological zealots.