Giving a ‘Free Thinker’ a Chance

Last week, artist Charles Sherman signed a contract with Robert’s Outdoor Advertising, a small, independent Palm Springs-based billboard company, to install his anti-tobacco piece for a month on Vine Street near Melrose Avenue starting Oct. 1.

Robert H. Salm, owner of the company, claims he is a “big believer” in the First Amendment and thinks that roadside billboards offer artists an excellent forum to pose creative and philosophical questions.

“There’s nothing unpatriotic or pornographic about Mr. Sherman’s art,” Salm said. “The only people who could possibly consider this piece too controversial are people opposed to free thinking.”