The controversal carousel artwork that sparked a community debate about racism and historical context is now a museum exhibit.
It was dedicated
this week at the Central Church of Christ in downtown 
Rochester, the first stop of a traveling exhibit prepared by the Rochester Museum and Science Center which will eventually be displayed around the community before coming back to the museum.
The panel was one of many that decorated the historic Dentzel Carousel at Ontario Beach Park for more than 100 years. It was painted in “pickaninny” style, depicting African-American children in exaggerated cartoon fashion as seen in early 20th Century advertising.
Someone spotted it two years ago, suggested it was offensive, and asked that it be removed. After community debate and some temporary confusion between the city-owned carousel run by the county, it was removed. Both city and county decided to make it a teaching moment as part of an exhibit about the history of such images and how our ideas have changed.