Activist Sentenced To Prison For ‘Causing Injury’ To Edgar Degas Dancer’s Glass
By Mikelle Leow, 30 Apr 2024
Photo 88738013 © Eamesbot | Dreamstime.com
An act of protest will twirl climate activist Joanna Smith behind bars for 60 days for defacing a treasured Edgar Degas sculpture.
Smith, a 54-year-old woman from Brooklyn, New York, bypassed security at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, with paint concealed in water bottles and targeted the protective case surrounding Edgar Degas’ iconic sculpture, Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen.
Smith, affiliated with the activist group Declare Emergency, aimed to draw attention to the pressing issue of climate change. The incident mirrored a growing trend of protesters targeting famous artworks to raise awareness.
Photos from today's action. Check our Facebook or Instagram for live feeds. @DecEmergency is the handle for both of those, too.#declareemergency #StopWillow #A22Network #Degas #nationalgalleryofart
— Declare Emergency (@DecEmergency) April 27, 2023
Three people detained atm as far as we’re aware. pic.twitter.com/EqI27IysLy
The act forced the Little Dancer out of public view for 10 days and incurred over US$4,000 in restoration costs. Smith, along with accomplice Tim Martin, faced federal charges and ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of “causing injury” to a National Gallery exhibit in December.
On April 26, 2024, Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Smith to 60 days in prison. The punishment also includes two years of supervised release, 150 hours of community service (including graffiti removal), and restitution for the damages. Notably, Smith is barred from entering the District of Columbia and all museums and monuments within the city limits for two years.
National Gallery of Art director Kaywin Feldman decried the battering of the enclosure, emphasizing the Little Dancer’s fragility and the potential long-term damage caused by the vibrations from the protest with NPR.
[via NPR and The Art Newspaper, images via various sources]