Appleton committee recommends moving controversial sculpture from East College Avenue
"The Collective" which is currently located on East College Avenue. (WLUK/Mike Moon)
Monday, January 13th 2020 by Sierra Trojan, FOX 11 News
Appleton, Wis. (WLUK) -- An Appleton sculpture is one step closer to being moved. The issue: Some residents who have to see it every day don't like it. They say it's old, ugly and dirty.
Monday evening, the Municipal Services Committee voted 4-1 to rescind approval for the big head sculpture's location on East College Avenue.
During public comments, some residents said children were afraid of the sculpture. Others worried the sculpture would distract drivers and is a safety concern.
Not all residents disapproved. Some said the sculpture evoked thought and conversation.
"The Collective," created by Paul Bobrowitz, is made from propane tanks. Each tank looks like a face and is assembled together to create a head.
Ultimately, the Common Council will get the final say on if the sculpture gets moved Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
Alderperson Patti Coenen says the city normally notifies residents of changes to their neighborhood, but this time, they dropped the ball.
"It was stated in the Arts Committee meeting that the representative from Sculpture Valley would go talk to the neighbors before installing the artwork and they did not," Coenen, chair of the Municipal Services Committee, said.
Alex Schultz with Sculpture Valley says he feels some responsibility for not notifying neighbors.
"By the time we got to this point of installing there just wasn't time to have another public debate. So I guess that's from our standpoint why we didn't go out and have a strong conversation with the neighbors," Schultz said.
Coenen says eventually there will be a policy in place to ensure Appleton residents are notified of changes near their home.
Schultz says he fears the committee will be setting a dangerous standard by moving the sculpture.
"You're setting the precedent, and now moving forward, the only thing we will be able to present to the arts commission for recommendation and have moved through the various committees for approval are very safe, very bright, very easy to interpret, ubiquitous works of art. That is not the intent of Sculpture Valley," Schultz said.
Coenen says this isn't a precedent, but a one time situation.
"I feel like we dropped the ball on this one and I feel like the neighbors deserve a voice. I mean they have to look at it every single day," Coenen said.
If the Common Council votes to relocate the sculpture, deciding on another location would happen at a later date.