Meaning of Confederate flag tied on sculpture at Danville museum unclear

DANVILLE (WSLS 10) - A Confederate flag tied around an art sculpture in front of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History intensified controversy surrounding the symbol Thursday.

Reactions from people in Danville were mixed after seeing what happened. Resident Timothy Spence said he thinks the meaning of the flag is misunderstood.

"If they did it to be hateful, that's wrong because that flag is not hateful," Spence explained. "The confederate flag has nothing to do with that boy or Nazism or anything like that. I know my history."

He said he's proud of his southern heritage and the flag has taken a different meaning as the years have passed.

Meanwhile, museum staff said their goal is to allow expression through art, but the Director of the Danville Museum of fine arts and history, Cara Burton said she was surprised someone tied a confederate flag around a piece of public art.

"I don't know why someone did it... This is public art and the purpose of public art is to engage the public in artistic expression, so maybe that was the purpose of it," Burton said.

The president of the organization that gave the monument to the museum said he was not offended by the placement of the flag.

"We see it as an abstract art of a black confederate soldier, and the flag, I thought was complimentary," President of the Heritage Preservation Association Robert Byrd explained.

But Danville's Vice Mayor, Garry Miller didn't agree. He said it was done in "very poor taste" and fuels the fire surrounding controversy over the flag's placement in front of the museum.

City leaders said the confederate flag will be brought up for another discussion at the July 7 city council meeting.