ACLU of Colorado sues Vail over firing of artist Danielle SeeWalker

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado is suing the city of Vail for dismissing artist Danielle SeeWalker from an artist-in-residence program, following a complaint filed in April regarding SeeWalker’s past work.

The complaint, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, says the city violated SeeWalker’s First Amendment rights by canceling her residency for political reasons before she had even painted a single brushstroke .

“…SeeWalker’s free speech rights under the federal and state constitutions were violated when the town of Vail abruptly canceled her residency after she expressed her personal views on the war in Gaza on her page. social media,” according to a statement from the ACLU of Colorado.

SeeWalker is a Native artist and muralist and citizen of the Standing Rock Tribe of South Dakota. His Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta heritage informs his work, and the piece in question, “G for Genocide,” expresses his solidarity with the Palestinian people.