Assignment: discuss the continued relevance, if any, of the visual arts to our daily existence as individuals or to society more broadly conceived. You must discuss at least three examples and one example of your own. one on each example cited, but rather it should be a cohesive paper which describes and explains these case studies in order to elaborate upon your broader thesis. Iconoclasm in Afghanistan For additional information on the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, I highly recommend that you read Finbarr Barry Flood''s excellent article on the subject, which sheds light on the complex and very modern character of the acts. UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has been a vocal advocate for the preservation of the remaining historical artifacts in the region; its entry on the Bamiyan Valley contains additional technical information and a discussion of Bamiyan''s importance as a World Heritage site. You may also want to take a look at the wikipedia entry on the Bamiyan Buddhas; the information, to the best of my ability to judge, seems reliable and perhaps more importantly there are some useful links at the bottom of the page. The New York Times published an article in December 2006 that may be helpful in thinking about the aftermath of the Buddhas'' destruction. Historic Preservation in Cambodia The Smithsonian published an essay on the topic of Angkor in 2007 that offers a good introduction to the region as a whole as well as to the temple of Angkor Wat . Similar to their efforts in Bamiyan Afghanistan, UNESCO is promoting efforts to preserve the temples of the Angkor region of Cambodia. If you are seeking additional information regarding preservation efforts in the Angkor region, reporters at the BBC have written several articles over the years on topics ranging from the looting of Angkorian artifacts for the global antiquities market to the perils of tourism at Phnom Bakeng, another temple located in the Angkor region. The dangers facing Phnom Bakeng have been covered by several news agencies in recent years, including the Washington Post. For a closer look at the growth of Angkor as a tourist destination, the New York Times published a fairly in-depth exploration of the subject in 2006. Censorship at the Brooklyn Museum The press coverage of the "Sensation" exhibition held at the Brooklyn Museum in 1999 (first exhibited in London in 1997) was extensive. The artist upon whom much of the controversy focused was Chris Ofili, an artist who by the late 1990s was gaining increasing recognition, being discussed as part of the phenomenon referred to in the press as YBA, Young British Artists. While some members of the press gave New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani credit for pointing to the seemingly offensive nature of Ofili''s art, many other reporters accused the mayor of censorship and political posturing. The New York Times covered the developing controversy in great detail, reporting on events and statements from week to week. Art in America, a widely-read art journal, also published a number of articles on the "Sensation" exhibition. Feminism and the Art of Judy Chicago Information on Judy Chicago and her art, including the Dinner Party, is available at the website of Through the Flower, an organization founded by and identified with Chicago. For additional information on the Dinner Party, read "The History of the Dinner Party" (pdf) from the same site. Today, the Dinner Party is on permanent exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; there are separate pages devoted to the artist and to the Dinner Party, including extensive documentation of its iconography. "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?" is the title of an imporant essay by Linda Nochlin, a pioneering feminist art historian, that may be of help in thinking about issues pertaining to the history of women in the arts.