Both ordinances will go before Yellowstone County voters in Tuesday's primary election.

The Rodin piece, on loan from a private collection, is visible from North 27th Street. A billboard-sized poster adorning the museum's exterior features a large photo of the sculpture, and urges viewers to "Expose Yourself to Art." In keeping with the protest theme, Adam's anatomy was masked by a large black bar on the poster.

"It's a symbolic protest against a blatant effort by an extremist group," said Robyn Peterson, executive director of the museum. The Billings Cultural Partners, a coalition of local arts groups including Yellowstone Art Museum, has gone on record opposing the two ordinances. So has the Parmly Billings Library Board. Arts supporters had planned a noon rally Thursday on the courthouse lawn to voice their opposition to the ordinances, but the event was canceled. Instead, arts supporters are preparing an ad campaign urging voters to reject both ordinances.

Peterson, acting with support from her board, shrouded Adam as a reminder that passage of the ordinances could limit the public's access to legitimate works of art.

Peterson said efforts to censor art have been in and out of vogue throughout history. During the Victorian era, fig leaves were added to Greek and Roman statues to hide genitalia. Many important works of literature have been banished as obscene, she said.

The county commissioners agreed earlier this year to place both ordinances on the primary ballot. One would impose a countywide ban on obscene materials.

The other would amend the county's zoning regulations to place tighter regulations on sexually oriented businesses such as strip clubs and adult bookstores.

As the election approaches, yard signs urging support for the ordinances have been cropping up around town. Supporters say the two ordinances are intended to block access only to hard-core pornography, and legitimate art isn't the intended target.

Opponents point out that the anti-obscenity ordinance would do nothing to limit access to thousands of sexually explicit sites available on the Internet. Also, if voters approve the changes to the zoning code, existing sexually oriented businesses would be "grandfathered."

The ballot contains only brief descriptions of both ordinances. Peterson urged voters to read the complete texts to measure their full scope. The full text of both ordinances appears on Yellowstone County's Web site www.co.yellowstone.mt.us.

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