LOVELAND — About 25 to 30 residents stood outside the Loveland Museum/Gallery this morning protesting a portion of an exhibit that appears to show Jesus Christ involved in a sex act.

“This is not art, it’s smut, pure and simple,” said Ronald Minto, who said he’s not against graphic art per se. But the color lithograph produced by Stanford University’s Enrique Chagoya is outright pornography, he said.

“This is a museum, not an X-rated book store,” said Minto.

The lithograph is spread over 12 panels, each about 7- by 7-inches, and is called “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals.”

It’s part of a touring 10-artist exhibit titled “The Legend of Bud Shark and His Indelible Ink.”

The exhibit is slated to be at the Loveland Museum/Gallery through Nov. 28. But Loveland City Councilwoman Donna Rice hopes the public will put enough public pressure on the city, to force Chagoya’s piece to be yanked.

“This is a taxpayer supported, public museum and it’s family-friendly,” Rice said, adding a court-ordered injunction may also be in order. “This is not something the community can be proud of.”

Chagoya’s work was targeted Tuesday by city councilman Daryle Klassen who said a citizen had complained about it. Klassen tried to get the matter put on the Oct. 5 council agenda but could not muster enough votes from the rest of the council.

Rice said the city attorney has indicated the exhibit does not meet the criteria of public obscentity.

Susan Ison, the city’s director of cultural services, said she asked Loveland’s cultural services board to review Chagoya’s work and they didn’t have any problems with it. Ison said Chagoya was attempting to describe his “mid-life crisis” in the piece.

“It’s very complex,” said Ison, “I really can’t describe simply what he’s trying to get at.”

Loveland resident Carol Ware said Chagoya’s piece is not something she’d want on her living room wall. But, she said, “it’s provocative and thought provoking. I thought that is what art is all about,” Ware said.