Light-night wag ribs UO’s nude art model flap

Media fascination on the subject of nude models at the University of Oregon continued to grow Tuesday night when NBC “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon decided he just had to pile on.

In a segment entitled “Pros and Cons of Being a Nude Art Model,” the late-night talk show host made fun of the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts’ recent decision to cancel a long-running figure drawing class that was free and open to area artists on Saturdays.

A YouTube clip of Fallon’s bit was getting lots of social media play on Wednesday among area artists, many of whom have expressed outrage that the sessions were canceled.

“We’ve hit the big time!” local artist Heather Halpern wrote on her Facebook page in posting the clip.

“The University of Oregon recently made news for canceling one of their nude modeling classes after receiving phone calls from local perverts … causing a bit of contretemps,” Fallon said during the show, sitting behind his desk at NBC’s Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Fallon was referring to UO officials’ explanation that the sessions were canceled after the school’s art department said it began receiving about 20 calls per day, some of them inappropriate, in response to fliers posted on campus looking for models to pose.

Among the pros and cons offered by Fallon:

“Pro: Showing up and taking off all your clothes.”

“Con: Then apologizing to all the English 101 students and heading to the correct room across the hall.”

Follow Mark on Twitter @MarkBakerRG . Email [email protected] .