Shia LaBeouf's anti-Trump exhibit shut down by museum
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A Queens museum said Friday it is shuttering its controversial anti-President Trump exhibit dreamed up by actor Shia LaBeouf, conceding that the installation has become a “flashpoint for violence,” The Post has learned.
A webcam mounted on a wall outside Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image — titled “HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US” — began filming on Inauguration Day, and was to be in place 24/7, for the duration of Trump’s presidency.
But clashes between pro- and anti-Trump forces were too much for museum brass to justify the art project.
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SHIA LABEOUF ARRESTED OUTSIDE NEW YORK MUSEUM
“The installation created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard for the museum, its visitors, its staff, local residents and businesses,” the museum said in a statement.
“While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly after one of the artists was arrested at the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action.”
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The statement said the controversy led to “numerous arrests” and prompted around-the-clock police patrols.
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Those busted included LaBeouf, who was put in cuffs at a late January scuffle at the oddball installation.
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Neighbors complained about noisy visitors loitering on their porches in the early morning hours, urinating and smoking marijuana, the local community board said.
Following a deluge of complaints, the 114th Precinct has set up a 24-hour patrol presence outside the museum, the NYPD said.
Community leaders and neighbors said something had to be done.
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“Why don’t they put the cam inside the museum? That has been raised by some individuals,” said Community Board 1 District Manager Florence Koulouris.
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“The concern is the quality of life. There’s action going on during unacceptable hours. The museum needs to find a way to make the project better for everyone involved,” she said.
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Meanwhile, a prominent museum board trustee had slammed the project as misguided, and said it was authorized without her input.
“I was not told. I don’t really know how it happened. I was upset when I found out about it,” said Claire Shulman, a former Queens borough president.
“It was a mistake to do it. It’s unsafe for a public institution to do a project like this,” said Shulman, a Democrat.
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“It’s inappropriate for that location. It’s a city building. It’s a city institution. It’s one of the finest institutions in the city.”
While valuing free speech, Shulman noted the American Museum is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit institution that is barred from engaging in partisan politics.
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Opened in 1988, the Museum of the Moving Image showcases the art, history, technique and technology of film, television and digital media.
It is housed in a city-owned building and receives hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants every year.