Artist plans public slaughter of chickens in Lawrence

LAWRENCE, Kan. - An artist is pushing a controversial art exhibit in downtown Lawrence.

According to the Kansas City Star ,  five live chickens will go on display in April in a coop in downtown Lawrence, where residents will have a chance to meet them.

The chickens will then be slaughtered at a public event.

The next day, they will be served in a community potluck.

The article from the Kansas City Star says that Lawrence artist  Amber Hansen wants to demonstrate a connection between people and the animals that they eat.

"There is something to be gained through experiential knowledge," Hansen told the Kansas City Star. "This is an art form that creates a real life situation and a situation that exists and happens every day."

Hansen, artist in residence at the University of Kansas, has named her project "The Story of Chickens: A Revolution".

She hopes it will transform public opinion of the birds from simply "livestock" to unique creatures.

Hansen, who grew up in Iowa on a farm, has her critics.

JoAnn Farb worries the project  will negatively affect the arts as well as Kansas' reputation.

She told the Kansas City Star "when people in other states think of Kansas, they will think that we don't teach evolution in our schools and we do those gruesome, public slaughters of chickens and call it art," said Farb, who has written a book about social reform and compassion toward animals. "This is just backward."

Lawrence officials question whether the slaughter of the chickens follows city code.

A communications manager with the city of Lawrence said she believed the city code does not allow the willful killing of animals.

Right now, the project is scheduled to be unveiled March 30 during Lawrence's Final Fridays.

To read the entire article from the Kansas City Star click here or go to http://bit.ly/Aj7Eip .