Courtesy of Crystal Feimster

“Erin L. Thompson is the only professor of art crime in the United States of America,” Margaret Spillane, a professor in the English department, said as she introduced Thompson to faculty, staff and students to discuss her new book.

On Thursday, Thompson spoke at Pierson College about her book, “Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America’s Public Monuments.” Thompson said she has the freedom to take her job in any direction she wants at John Jay University because she is the only professor of art crime in the United States. The position has enabled her to study forgery, art theft and art under political oppression.  

“Isn’t it barbaric to tear down a monument?” Thompson said many people ask. 

Thompson challenged the idea that the destruction of statues representing the past is equivalent to destroying our history. She said that art was created and destroyed with relative frequency in centuries past. 

The destruction of art represents the views of the people of that time, Thompson said. She discussed how, during the American Revolution, revolutionaries tore down a statue of King George in New York and melted it into bullets. The destruction of public monuments is not new to the United States; rather, it is part of American freedom of expression, Thompson said. 

Thompson then spoke about an example of a Confederate monument that remains in Stone Mountain, Georgia, in the state’s most visited park. The memorial, which is carved into the side of the Mountain, is made of large stone. To many, it represents slavery, racism and hatred, Thompson said. 

Still, it is protected by the state of Georgia, Thompson said. Although the monument seems permanent, small ponds at the top of the mountain created by natural erosion are filled with shrimp. Runoff flowing over the edge leaves a residue, making the monument blend into the mountain. 

“It brings me a little joy knowing that shrimp shit is hiding this monument,” Thompson said. 

She further explained that, in 2023, the Sons of Confederate Veterans warned the state park that they would sue for this neglect. The Sons of Confederate Veterans also filed a lawsuit in 2025 because of the park’s plans for an exhibition focusing on slavery and its legacy.

Thompson emphasized that many Americans justify the existence of confederate monuments as educational. However, she takes issue with that sentiment.

“Monuments are pledges of allegiance, not a history lesson,” she said.

Davianna Inirio ’27, an art and history of art major, wrote in a text message that a monument’s placement — in a park as opposed to a museum — affects how it is perceived. 

“If placed in a park, a lot of individuals are not going to be coming up to the signage or plaque,” Inirio said. “Therefore, the monument then is appreciated for its visual elements and if those visual elements insinuate ideas of nationalism or allegiance to a country then that is the way it’ll be interpreted.”

Inirio added that placing a monument in an art gallery or museum would have different implications. She noted that a monument in one of these spaces “serves greater educational pursuits” and “just adds to the plethora of objects to be researched at the institution.” 

After the talk, attendees asked Thompson questions about her book and her work specializing in art crime. Much of the conversation centered on stolen artworks in museums, which Thompson has gained a reputation for criticizing.

 “I am not some high-powered person. Every institution has skeletons in the closet that require people to take a look.” Thompson said. She added that museums should “welcome people while being an institution that has justice.”

Lillian Kibler ’28 asked what art should be returned, acknowledging that displaying foreign objects can teach audiences about other cultures they would not have otherwise been exposed to. She said that growing up in a rural town, she noticed many people would never be able to see works of art unless they were on display for the public.  

In response, Thompson emphasized the importance of starting conversations with descendant communities and including their perspectives in decisions about what to display — and how. 

“Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America’s Public Monuments” was published in 2022.