The MLK Memorial: Made in China?

The international summer of troubled and/or troubling public art continues and, I hope, concludes with the unveiling of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, which was to officially take place in Washington, DC, this Sunday, until Hurricane Irene intervened. Originally scheduled to the mark the 48th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, the unveiling already had storm clouds approaching in the form of protestors railing against the use of a Chinese sculptor and Chinese pink granite for the African-American’s tribute. Does it really matter who sculpted the memorial or what it’s made of? Or should a grand symbolic gesture be symbolic through and through? Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "The MLK Memorial: Made in China?"

“Forever Marilyn,” or Forever Exploitation?

When sculptor Seward Johnson’s 26-foot-tall tribute to Marilyn Monroe came under public scrutiny after last month’s unveiling in Pioneer Court in Chicago, he knew there would be a blow-up of one sort or another. Forever Marilyn recreates on a grand scale the iconic scene from the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch when Monroe’s character, known only as “The Girl,” stands over a subway grate and allows her skirt to be blown up around her, titillating the “itchy” married man beside her. Forever Marilyn titillates a new generation while claiming to celebrate the blonde bombshell’s life and career. But does this sculpture extend the Hollywood legend or just repeat the same exploitation that contributed to Monroe’s tragic death? Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Forever Marilyn, or Forever Exploitation?"

[Image: Seward Johnson. Forever Marilyn.]

Is the Pope’s Statue a Sin Against Public Art?

Everybody’s a critic, especially when it comes to public art. Mix in religion, a beloved figure, and modern art and you’ve got yourself all the ingredients for controversy. The recently unveiled statue of Pope John Paul II by Oliviero Rainaldi may be the most hated piece of art on earth at the moment. The Vatican beatified the beloved Polish pontiff earlier this month. Rainaldi’s statue was to be a tribute in honor of that step toward sainthood from the Fondazione Silvana Paolini Angelucci, a charitable organization that donated the statue to Rome. Now, Romans want to give it back, calling it a public eyesore and a black mark against the memory of the holy man they feel it fails to resemble. In that holiest of cities for Catholics, is the statue of John Paul II a sin against public art? Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Is the Pope’s Statue a Sin Against Public Art?"

[Image: Oliviero Rainaldi. Statue of Pope John Paul II. Rome, Italy.]