New York City Wants to Know Where You Stand on Controversial Monuments

After white supremacists flooded Charlottesville, Virginia, to protest the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue, New York City vowed to take a closer look at "all symbols of hate on city property." Now, the Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers has launched a survey asking New Yorkers where they stand on the issue of representation in public art and statues.

The survey contains questions not only about the possible removal of statues and the general role of public art, but also the prospect of "adding supplementary and educational materials," like plaques or adjacent pieces of art, to add context to an existing monument. 

"In this political climate, people are frustrated and feel a need to do something," Harriet Senie, a member of the mayoral commission and a professor of art history at the City College of New York, told the Brian Lehrer Show. "But removing statues is a symbolic act; it will not eradicate racism."

Announced in September, the commission intends to take 90 days to create guidelines for monuments "seen as oppressive and inconsistent with the values of New York City."

The deadline to fill out the survey is November 26.