http://www.aclu.org/news/NewsPrint.cfm?ID=17297&c=83

A depressing story

Nude statue in B.C. traffic circle distracts drivers
Last Updated Tue, 11 Jan 2005 10:54:42 EST
CBC News




PENTICTON, B.C. - Politicians in Penticton, B.C., are taking heat for paying $5,000 to install an artwork in the middle of a traffic circle that includes a 2.2-metre tall statue of a naked man.

The statue, called The Baggage Handler, went up a week ago. It shows the man's nude figure surrounded by a number of colourful suitcases meant to represent emotional baggage.
The offending portion, censored.

After some distracted drivers narrowly avoided accidents upon seeing the display, artist Michael Hermesh was told to bolt a metal plate in front of the statue's genitalia.



"I was furious!" he recalled. "I spent a day walking around my studio kicking things!"

The city then had a change of heart, with councillors voting 5-1 Monday night to tell Hermesh to take the metal plate off again.

Mayor Dave Perry was the lone holdout who thought the protective plate should stay. He said he was not aware The Baggage Handler would include the figure of a naked man holding a suitcase when the city agreed to purchase it for the traffic circle.

The city's funding for the piece brought reaction that ranged from "notes taped to the front door of city hall demanding my resignation [to] phone calls saying they're offended by it," said Perry.

"Nudity begets controversy, and controversy is the issue here," he said. "We don't need the controversy, we just need some public art the majority of the community can buy into."

Driver Katrina Woo describes the statue as a "naked old man with a paunch."
Statue and sculptor

"She was so shocked we almost got into a car accident when we saw that thing," said Ian McGraw, who was driving with Woo at the time.

The statue has its defenders, though.

Passerby Rob Semeniuk doesn't mind the piece.

"A lot of creativity has gone into it," he said. "I kinda like it. It gives me something to look at and I find it interesting."
Curtis Collins, curator at the South Okanagan Art Gallery.

Curtis Collins, a curator at the South Okanagan Art Gallery, also thought the man's nudity was not offensive, joking: "He looks like he just got out of Okanagan Lake."

But in a serious defence of the piece, he added: "Part of the purpose of art is to both comfort people and challenge them."

For his part, Perry said he's had enough artistic controversy to last him a lifetime. He said Penticton will be more cautious in the future when it pays for public art.

The statue will stay up until September, when it is slated to be replaced by a different piece of public art.

http://www.aclu.org/news/NewsPrint.cfm?ID=17297&c=83

A depressing story

stupid cops

Isn't there a Dunkin' Dounuts there in Dallas?
Apparently NOT!

stupid cops

What do you expect from the Bushie Homeland?

Texas is my homeland too...and a lot of people who know the difference between art and porn. Why does it always have to come back to Bush bashing?

http://www.aclu.org/news/NewsPrint.cfm?ID=17297&c=83

A depressing story

I'm not worried, im sure the ACLU will eat that police department right up. That law they were threatening to enforce has no basis because that picture depicits ART not pornography and any idiot could realize that. This just seems like another case where the religious/conservative crowd like to put their two cents in and impose their views on everybody else.

Nude statue in B.C. traffic circle distracts drivers
Last Updated Tue, 11 Jan 2005 10:54:42 EST
CBC News




PENTICTON, B.C. - Politicians in Penticton, B.C., are taking heat for paying $5,000 to install an artwork in the middle of a traffic circle that includes a 2.2-metre tall statue of a naked man.

The statue, called The Baggage Handler, went up a week ago. It shows the man's nude figure surrounded by a number of colourful suitcases meant to represent emotional baggage.
The offending portion, censored.

After some distracted drivers narrowly avoided accidents upon seeing the display, artist Michael Hermesh was told to bolt a metal plate in front of the statue's genitalia.



"I was furious!" he recalled. "I spent a day walking around my studio kicking things!"

The city then had a change of heart, with councillors voting 5-1 Monday night to tell Hermesh to take the metal plate off again.

Mayor Dave Perry was the lone holdout who thought the protective plate should stay. He said he was not aware The Baggage Handler would include the figure of a naked man holding a suitcase when the city agreed to purchase it for the traffic circle.

The city's funding for the piece brought reaction that ranged from "notes taped to the front door of city hall demanding my resignation [to] phone calls saying they're offended by it," said Perry.

"Nudity begets controversy, and controversy is the issue here," he said. "We don't need the controversy, we just need some public art the majority of the community can buy into."

Driver Katrina Woo describes the statue as a "naked old man with a paunch."
Statue and sculptor

"She was so shocked we almost got into a car accident when we saw that thing," said Ian McGraw, who was driving with Woo at the time.

The statue has its defenders, though.

Passerby Rob Semeniuk doesn't mind the piece.

"A lot of creativity has gone into it," he said. "I kinda like it. It gives me something to look at and I find it interesting."
Curtis Collins, curator at the South Okanagan Art Gallery.

Curtis Collins, a curator at the South Okanagan Art Gallery, also thought the man's nudity was not offensive, joking: "He looks like he just got out of Okanagan Lake."

But in a serious defence of the piece, he added: "Part of the purpose of art is to both comfort people and challenge them."

For his part, Perry said he's had enough artistic controversy to last him a lifetime. He said Penticton will be more cautious in the future when it pays for public art.

The statue will stay up until September, when it is slated to be replaced by a different piece of public art.

If people get distracted that easily, they have no business driving because theyd be a danger weither there was a nude statue there or not. If the nude statue did not distract them, something else would. I would tell the person in the car to either keep their eyes on the road or dont drive at all, simple as that. You dont go and get rid of an expensive peice of artwork because some idiots are easily distracted and dont have the brains to drive carefully.

Texas is my homeland too...and a lot of people who know the difference between art and porn. Why does it always have to come back to Bush bashing?

because it seems alot of these people who follow Bush want this warm and fuzzy kind of life for the people in this country and they like to impose their religious and political views on others and think that everything that offends someone needs to be dealt with no matter who they hurt in the process. I mean its really sad when you get a bunch of loons in the office and in charge of this country that want our whole country to end up like some Disney Movie with everybody smiling and being happy and having all the naughty bits covered up some we dont hurt some child and offend their immature parents who dont have a backbone. People just need to grow up and realize that not everything in this world is happy or warm and fuzzy.

I'm not worried, im sure the ACLU will eat that police department right up. That law they were threatening to enforce has no basis because that picture depicits ART not pornography and any idiot could realize that. This just seems like another case where the religious/conservative crowd like to put their two cents in and impose their views on everybody else.

Well the RRR is really feeling their oats after the recent election.
You can expect them to be making trouble for a while.
I just hope that we have swung as far right as we are going to in this political cycle.
If things keep going as they have for the last 20 years we'll be wearing union suits at the beach again.