Arists Sophie Calle and Vito Acconci and the galleries, collectors, and museums buying their work profit from photographs of people in public spaces. However, the subjects neither have knowledge of their being photographed nor received compensation for the sales. Relatedly, subjects in commercials are used to sell products, whereas background individuals in for-profit news channels are not; in the former, lack of compensation would be considered theft, but the strategy in the latter is typically accepted. Art is often considered distinct from the aforementioned media. Is it ethical for artists and art institutions to profit from work depicting uncompensated subjects?

After an art exhibition was postponed indefinitely at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the question about whether the work of artists needs to be revisited or recontextualized after questionable content. Many argue that the work of an artist has to be separated from the art, because if it is not, a lot of historical art must be taken down due to the actions of artists in their time. Others argue that if art can be ruined by the understanding of how it was made, then maybe it isn’t as exceptional as it seems.

The arrival of postmodern art has brought with it many controversial pieces of art. Some of these art pieces have included physical harm to people, the death of animals, and the destruction of ancient art. These led to an international debate over what is art and what should be limited. If art is limited, it could potentially protect certain thoughts, ideals, or even people and animals. However, if art is limited, it restricts the avenues that artists can use in order to convey a message.

Is it wrong for Frankie to listen to the music of her favorite band if their lead singer regularly makes sexist comments in interviews, donates to political organizations she believes are harmful to women, and recently pleaded guilty to criminal harassment of his ex-wife? Can you separate the music from the musician?

Popular visual artist Richard Prince combined screenshots of Instagram pictures uploaded by famous and unknown users with his own comments and sold this piece for $90,000. Since Prince did not get users' permission to use their photos, his piece raises legal and ethical questions about art and ownership.

Sybil shared many intimate stories (including ones about drug use and mental health issues) about her family members in her successful memoir recounting her difficult childhood. Her sister accuses her of violating her right to privacy and damaging her reputation. How does the value of writing a memoir weigh against values associated with friendship, family, privacy?

Nate wants to sing along to a popular song on the radio, but realizes the song has some sexist lines. Would singing the song amount to approval of the sexist sentiments the song reflects? When is self-censorship morally appropriate?

There have been many examples of looted art in recent decades. Who has claim to cultural artifacts: researchers from all over the world, war conquerors, their original owners? Should a collector who unknowingly bought looted art return the items?

Two pieces of historical fiction portray the same historical figure very differently. Do writers of historical fiction have any obligation to represent events accurately? Is it morally wrong to depict a figure as more cruel than they really were?

Governor McCrory argued against subsidizing liberal arts and humanities majors that he believes do not prepare students for jobs. Should the government subsidize majors that are most economically valuable, most fulfilling, best promote moral development, or that help build a democratic society?