Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

SCITUATE, R.I. -- A Connecticut artist pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault Wednesday in Kent County District Court after she allegedly tried to block a Providence Journal photographer from videotaping her display at the Scituate Art Festival on Monday.

Susan M. Peifer, 56, of Chaplin was released by Judge Jeanne LaFazia pending another court appearance on the misdemeanor charge on Oct. 28.

Deputy Police Chief Stephen B. Lang said that Peifer asked photographer Andrew Dickerman to cease videotaping, and, when Dickerman refused, pushed the camera against his face.

Lang said officers summoned a rescue truck, but Dickerman declined treatment for what Lang described as a watery, bloodshot eye.

He said Dickerman showed the tape to investigators. The tape depicted a woman approaching and placing her hand on the camera, he said. Lang said, however, that Dickerman declined to give officers the tape as evidence.

"A lot of the artists get upset when people take pictures of their artwork," the deputy chief said, adding that some use digital photography techniques to reproduce the artwork for free.

"It's like kids downloading songs from the Internet," he said.

 Tags  Scituate Art Festival The Providence Journal

Comments

Charlie said:

People can't reproduce art from a little video image.

Sorry, chief, this is NOT like downloading songs from the Internet -- that's would be cloning the whole painting, an exact copy at its original size.

If the artist is that worried that someone would steal her images, she shouldn't show them at a public festival. If she's worried that someone would make more money from her work than she does, she should find out how they do it and do it herself.

Link | October 14, 2009 9:41 PM
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sed said:

Is this the same Andrew Dickerman that was taking pictures of the Rolling Stones in Warwick in 1972 which ended up with them going to the local jail when they punched him?

Link | October 15, 2009 8:36 AM
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Only a fool would turn away free publicity said:

The woman is a fool to turn away obviously free publicitiy, but that's why she is exhibiting at the Scituate Arts Festival and not selling her precious stuff to the Museum of Fine Arts.

Link | October 15, 2009 3:32 PM
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dollslikeus said:

You can video tape anything today .Especially digitsal artwork is is so easily stolen and reproduced . In the old days you could try to make and exact copy of what you saw but it would wind up being your version of it .Today all you have to do is put it on a copier and copy it .

Link | October 17, 2009 3:30 PM
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