Wasilla High School Sculpture Covered After Concerns

Now I would like to get people's opinions on whether they think this is an issue or not.

Now, I like to post a thread now and then on light hearted news or something funny, debateable, but funny.

I can't decide if the parents are over reacting on this or not. But apparently after all the school kids came home giggling, the parents had to take a look.

And some of you may have had the immediate thought that I did upon hearing this news story, you thought of that episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where his mother made the sculpture.

And if Wasilla sounds familiar, it is the hometown of Sara Palin.

That’s why Jan. 29 was an exciting day, Dault said. That’s the day they installed their sculpture “Warrior Within” in front of the Mat-Su Borough School District’s largest high school. Three days later, however, the $100,000 work of art, contracted through the state’s Percent For Art Program, was covered by tarps and has remained under wraps since.

The reason? Some students think the stone and concrete sculpture that features a pair of shields surrounded by feathers resembles female genitalia

What do you think? Over reaction? Is this censorship of Indian Art? Is everything just being sexualized?

And I can admit my immaturity and say I giggled.


Sculpture Under Wraps

Me personally, I think the biggest crime is that someone paid 100,000 for a rock with a handprint in it.

reply to post by nixie_nox




Gotta love a light hearted story. Seriously, what is wrong with people?

Mind you it may serve a purpose, even if only for teenage boys to concentrate on the button at the top.........

reply to post by nixie_nox


Humans brains are wired to be sexualized. There is no getting around it.

100,000 for that thing? Waste of money. I was picturing a beautiful complex sculpture for that price. Something Michelangelo could have carved.

reply to post by RealSpoke


Yes but I guess some objects make it easier then others.

So do you think the parents have a legitimate concern?

As far as the sculpture is concerned, they should of done an actual shield.

reply to post by nixie_nox


I actually happen to like the sculpture. I see why kids might giggle but I think its well done and interesting to look at.

reply to post by RealSpoke


Nah, public authorities like wasting huge amounts of money on artwork and sculptures. It happens over here in the UK too, whether it is schools, hospitals or the like. My favourite was Lord Falconer (Tony Blair's law guru) who tried to defend spending £59'000 of taxpayers cash on exclusive wall paper! Whilst not quite in the same vein as this type of waste of money it was still a total waste of cash. In a similar line, one of our hospitals spent a couple of hundred grand on what were, basically, some pebbles in order to brighten the experience for patients

Thanks again to NixieNox though, this story made me laugh out loud sat at my desk. Always worth it, especially when i get funny looks from my colleagues!

wow...

That seriously does not look like female genitals to me. That thought would never cross my mind just looking at it. So now shapes are being censored? I am more upset about $100,000 being wasted on a piece of art for a school? Couldn't they find something a bit cheaper and use some of that money educating the students?

Is it ugly as sin? Yeah
Does it look like a vagina? Kinda
Should it be censored? Probably not.

The real question is this: Why has our society decided to outlaw vaginas, breasts, and penises?

Originally posted by nixie_nox
What do you think? Over reaction? Is this censorship of Indian Art? Is everything just being sexualized?

Right wing Christian fundamentalists with warped minds and nothing better to argue about, that's what this all comes down to.

These fools are ignoramuses. The fact that those responsible for EDUCATION even listen to these religious crazies is what's truly dangerous to society.

"Won't somebody pleeeaaseee think of the children!!!!!!111111oneoneoneone"

Grow up Palin Posse (yes, I said posse lol), you're pathetic.

The crime - someone paid $100,000 for it.
The obvious - kids in a high school will see 'sex' just about anywhere.
They probably see body parts in the grill cheese sandwiches their cafeteria sells at lunch.
High schoolers ....

These same parents must have gotten teased a lot in school.

Hopefully no students start making these things called "jokes" over water fountains looking somewhat phallic or the parents will rally to ban them.

Heaven forbid students start joking that all water has been "urinated" around 7 times since life began....then we'll really be in trouble.

reply to post by nixie_nox


Sure, now that they point it out, I can see the resemblence, but whoever had the guts to say that was their first impression is insane! I would never admit that I see a harmless sculpture and my mind immediately jumps to something sexual in nature.

And, even if it does resemble genitalia, that does not have to mean it is inappropriate.

To tarp it is silly.

Now, to pay $100,000 for the artwork is the real obscenity here! They surely have student artists, they surely could have gotten a donation for the art, and they surely could have found something more illustrative of what their school stands for. They apparently spent $100,000 for a representation of a blanket covering a warrior, that looks more like a vagina?

If the parents want to be outraged, they should be outraged at the price, the poor thought-process, and the ugly result, not the fact that some sickos see genitalia in everything they look at.

Why does anyone think a vagina is a bad thing? They can be somewhat dangerous where individual freedom is concerned, but apart from that, they're wonderful.

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

Gotta love a light hearted story. Seriously, what is wrong with people?

Mind you it may serve a purpose, even if only for teenage boys to concentrate on the button at the top.........

That is too much!!

Now, keep in mind, very few men will even catch your joke there! They are going to have to read, and re-read, and eventually google it before they will laugh.

I could think of a few things this sculpture looks like, and one of then is not a female body part.

But lets be outraged anyway! How dare they spend all that money on a piece of art, when I'd be willing to bet that the teachers had to pay for some supplies out of their own pockets!

ETA: It really reminds me of the alien mars machine from Total Recall.

They should have donated $100K to the school's art department and let the students create a monument that represented their ideas.

What a waste of money

Yeah I can see the resemblence. The real question is, why are the people more worried about a vagina lookalike, than they are that their school blew 100 grand on a sculpture? Unless of course it was donated, it does happen sometimes.

reply to post by getreadyalready


I couldn't resist to be honest.......

Anyhow, after a bit of thinking i've also changed my mind about the waste of taxpayers cash. I would actually far rather that taxpayers cash was spent on things like this than on expenses for rich and privileged politicians! At least art and sculpture can bring a bit of pleasure to people.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

They apparently spent $100,000 for a representation of a blanket covering a warrior, that looks more like a vagina?

You and Flavian are going to get me in trouble. I keep loling.

I thought after I started the thread that age of the school kids plays a factor in this.

Apparently paret of the problem too is that before they covered it, kids were taking obscene pictures with it.


But I haven't decided yet that it is good to support local artists, or if kids should of done the sculpture.