Neighbors go head to head with city over 'monstrosity' of a sculpture
Neighbors go head to head with city over 'monstrosity' of a sculpture, Dec. 20, 2019. (WLUK/Monique Lopez)
Saturday, December 21st 2019 by Monique Lopez, FOX 11 News
APPLETON, Wis. (WLUK) -- An unusual piece of art is turning heads.
The large sculpture is part of an initiative to put sculptural works throughout the Fox Cities, but as not everyone is thrilled with it in their neighborhood.
“It looks kinda like darkness, scary,” said resident John Bunks. “Our daughter didn’t like it; she said it looks like masks from the Silence of the Lambs.”
A monstrosity, is what some call it.
Bunks, whose home is almost directly behind the large piece of art, says he and several other neighbors thought it placed there for Halloween when it showed up a few weeks ago.
“Then we realized it’s here for two years!” he said.
Others say it's old and ugly.
“It looks like it’s dingy and dirty,” Bunks’ wife said. “When I look out my house, I see Mike Meyers!”
The Bunks, and other neighbors along East College Avenue in Appleton want it gone.
“It doesn’t fit the neighborhood,” Bunks said. “With the old historic homes, it’s out of place; it’s too big.”
It was up for less than 15 minutes, before calls to remove it started pouring in.
“I’ve been putting pieces out in public venues for many years, and have never, ever gotten one-twentieth of the reaction to a piece that this piece has drawn,” said artist of “The Collective” sculpture Paul Bobrowitz.
But beauty is in the eye of beholder, and Bobrowitz says his piece is doing more than he ever hoped.
“This piece is connecting with people, because it’s getting a lot of reactions. This is a good thing!” He said. “It’s stimulating a lot of conversation, which is a good thing - we need to be talking to each other more!”
But one neighbor's tired of talking.
“We had a lot of people online, on Facebook, come up and say, ‘Hey, what’s in your front yard?’ I said, well, it’s not our front yard, and we want to get rid of it!” said Bunks.
While many aren’t fans of the unique work, it was chosen, by popular demand, to be included in Sculpture Valley’s third season of ACREofART.
“We selected 10 works that we place around the Fox Cities,” executive director at Sculpture Valley Alex Schultz explained. “This was actually ranked the highest of those 10 that were selected as the Jury’s Choice.”
The piece is made up of hundreds of salvaged propane tanks that have been turned into faces that make up one large head.
It’s called “The Collective,” but residents say it wasn’t a collective community decision to have it placed there.
“We never heard anything about this art piece, so we were surprised when it showed up,” said Bunks.
Schultz says that’s for a reason.
“If we open ourselves up to too many of those individualistic and personal interpretations of art, we’d never get anything placed,” he said.
Bobrowitz says harsh words from critics of his masterpiece don’t bother him.
“More power to them. God love them!” said the Colgate, Wis. artist.
And he hopes people will grow to appreciate it, like he says so many in his own neighborhood had.
“Well, that’s great!” Bunks said. “Then move it over to your neighborhood, I don’t want it here!”
The city council unanimously approved the sculpture’s location in November but, after hearing from residents, the Municipal Services Committee is rethinking that decision.
The committee will meet on Jan. 13 to begin discussions.