Here we go again!
link
Gift of statues to city hits snag
By KELLEY BOUCHARD, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
A gift of bronze statues intended for installation outside Hadlock Field has stirred controversy between Portland's Public Art Committee and the owner of the Portland Sea Dogs baseball team.
Committee members say they are concerned that the statues, which depict a traditional family of four on the way to a baseball game, would be too large, display the team logo and fail to reflect the modern diversity of Portland, both in its people and its artwork.
Committee members hope to work with Sea Dogs owner Daniel Burke to alter the statues so they can be installed at the city-owned baseball stadium, but Burke's lawyer says that won't happen.
"There can be no changes," William Troubh said Tuesday. "This is not a holiday gift you can go and exchange. If the city sees fit, in its wisdom, to accept it, so be it."
Troubh said Burke, who has homes in Kennebunkport and New York, wants to give the statues as a thank you to Portlanders for their support of the Sea Dogs, and never would have offered them if he thought they would be controversial.
The problem, committee members said, is that Burke commissioned a nationally known artist, Rhoda Sherbell of Westbury, N.Y., to sculpt the statues without seeking guidance from them.
Jack Soley, committee vice chairman, said the committee would have steered Burke away from a design that features "white folks on pedestals" because Portland has enough of those, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Longfellow Square and film director John Ford at Gorham's Corner.
"There's so much statuary in Portland that represents white, Anglo-Saxon people," said Jay York, another committee member. "We want to encourage strong, interesting public art that the city of Portland can enjoy for years to come."
Soley said the committee is promoting more progressive, avant-garde public art, such as an installation planned for Boothby Square that will feature vertical stainless steel waves slicing through the park's grass.
The committee reviews all gifts of public art and makes recommendations to the City Council to accept or decline. The committee considers each gift's appropriateness in the city's public art collection, quality of design, materials and construction, accessibility and impact on public safety, and the city's cost for site improvements and future maintenance.
Burke's statues include a father figure that's 11 feet tall, including a foot-high marble base. The mother figure is slightly smaller and carries a small girl and a teddy bear. The son figure is wearing a baseball glove and a Sea Dogs shirt and cap, which would violate the city's rule against public art that features commercial advertising or company logos.
"Minor league teams come and go," Soley said. "This art needs to be timeless."
At a meeting last week, committee members told Troubh that the logo must be removed and the statues should be reduced to a human scale and rooted in the sidewalk outside the Park Avenue stadium so passers-by could interact with the installation.
Committee members also expressed concern that the statues represent a white, nuclear family that doesn't represent the actual cross-section of Sea Dogs fans.
"I go to a lot of Sea Dogs games and I would say a majority of their attendees are not represented by those statues," said Soley, who is a single father.
Still, Soley said, the depiction of the traditional family isn't a deal-breaker. He said the committee is "profoundly thankful" for Burke's "wonderful gift" and appreciates his sentiment and intentions.
City Councilor Karen Geraghty, who sits on the Public Art Committee, agreed.
"Because it's traditional doesn't mean it won't be accepted," Geraghty said. "We'll work around it. I think people are excited that (Burke) cares enough to give this to the city."
What is unclear is whether the statues could be changed at this point. The committee has seen only photographs of small, clay models sitting on a tabletop.
Troubh said the full-size statues are "not totally" cast in bronze but are "basically completed." He said the pieces cannot be changed without violating their artistic integrity or the artist's vision. Troubh declined to say how much Burke spent on the commission.
Troubh said he plans to write a letter to the committee saying that no changes will be made to the statues.
"There will be no fight," Troubh said. "They will either accept (the gift) or not."
link
Gift of statues to city hits snag
By KELLEY BOUCHARD, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
A gift of bronze statues intended for installation outside Hadlock Field has stirred controversy between Portland's Public Art Committee and the owner of the Portland Sea Dogs baseball team.
Committee members say they are concerned that the statues, which depict a traditional family of four on the way to a baseball game, would be too large, display the team logo and fail to reflect the modern diversity of Portland, both in its people and its artwork.
Committee members hope to work with Sea Dogs owner Daniel Burke to alter the statues so they can be installed at the city-owned baseball stadium, but Burke's lawyer says that won't happen.
"There can be no changes," William Troubh said Tuesday. "This is not a holiday gift you can go and exchange. If the city sees fit, in its wisdom, to accept it, so be it."
Troubh said Burke, who has homes in Kennebunkport and New York, wants to give the statues as a thank you to Portlanders for their support of the Sea Dogs, and never would have offered them if he thought they would be controversial.
The problem, committee members said, is that Burke commissioned a nationally known artist, Rhoda Sherbell of Westbury, N.Y., to sculpt the statues without seeking guidance from them.
Jack Soley, committee vice chairman, said the committee would have steered Burke away from a design that features "white folks on pedestals" because Portland has enough of those, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Longfellow Square and film director John Ford at Gorham's Corner.
"There's so much statuary in Portland that represents white, Anglo-Saxon people," said Jay York, another committee member. "We want to encourage strong, interesting public art that the city of Portland can enjoy for years to come."
Soley said the committee is promoting more progressive, avant-garde public art, such as an installation planned for Boothby Square that will feature vertical stainless steel waves slicing through the park's grass.
The committee reviews all gifts of public art and makes recommendations to the City Council to accept or decline. The committee considers each gift's appropriateness in the city's public art collection, quality of design, materials and construction, accessibility and impact on public safety, and the city's cost for site improvements and future maintenance.
Burke's statues include a father figure that's 11 feet tall, including a foot-high marble base. The mother figure is slightly smaller and carries a small girl and a teddy bear. The son figure is wearing a baseball glove and a Sea Dogs shirt and cap, which would violate the city's rule against public art that features commercial advertising or company logos.
"Minor league teams come and go," Soley said. "This art needs to be timeless."
At a meeting last week, committee members told Troubh that the logo must be removed and the statues should be reduced to a human scale and rooted in the sidewalk outside the Park Avenue stadium so passers-by could interact with the installation.
Committee members also expressed concern that the statues represent a white, nuclear family that doesn't represent the actual cross-section of Sea Dogs fans.
"I go to a lot of Sea Dogs games and I would say a majority of their attendees are not represented by those statues," said Soley, who is a single father.
Still, Soley said, the depiction of the traditional family isn't a deal-breaker. He said the committee is "profoundly thankful" for Burke's "wonderful gift" and appreciates his sentiment and intentions.
City Councilor Karen Geraghty, who sits on the Public Art Committee, agreed.
"Because it's traditional doesn't mean it won't be accepted," Geraghty said. "We'll work around it. I think people are excited that (Burke) cares enough to give this to the city."
What is unclear is whether the statues could be changed at this point. The committee has seen only photographs of small, clay models sitting on a tabletop.
Troubh said the full-size statues are "not totally" cast in bronze but are "basically completed." He said the pieces cannot be changed without violating their artistic integrity or the artist's vision. Troubh declined to say how much Burke spent on the commission.
Troubh said he plans to write a letter to the committee saying that no changes will be made to the statues.
"There will be no fight," Troubh said. "They will either accept (the gift) or not."
She was first to spot it! 
