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<i> Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press</i>

Unknown Protesters: About 50 protesters in Cincinnati wore grocery bags over their heads Friday to protest efforts by others to shut down a controversial photo display of the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s works. Some of the photos depict erotic and sexual behavior. The city has become divided in recent weeks over the Contemporary Arts Center’s exhibit. The photos, which first gained national attention last year when Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) objected to them, are scheduled to go on display Friday. However, local law enforcement officials have threatened to seize the photos. Center officials have filed a lawsuit aimed at preventing seizure of the photos and are seeking a court ruling on whether the photographs are obscene. Last June, the exhibit was canceled at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington.

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