Art
or porn?
That question came up last week for strollers along downtown Bemidji's
Sculpture Walk, which this year features nine painted fiberglass beavers,
including one with -- to some eyes -- a suggestive painting on its belly.
After about 20 callers complained to City Hall that artist Deborah Davis'
painting appeared to be of female genitalia, City Manager John Chattin
ordered Davis' sculpture removed from the Sculpture Walk, officials in the
northern Minnesota city said.
Al Belleveau, president of the Bemidji Sculpture Walk, said that at
Chattin's request, he moved the sculpture to his yard until the City Council
decides what to do with it.
That prompted a protest during Sunday's July 4th parade. A crowd
of people gathered near where Davis' beaver sculpture had stood, some
carrying signs that read Censored, Davis said. In addition, some of
the other beaver artists veiled their own works in solidarity with Davis.
Davis, of Blackduck, Minn., called her work Gaea, which she said
can mean Mother Earth or God is gracious. The beaver has
female figures painted on its sides and a tree on its back. Its belly
features a painting in which some see praying hands and some see woman's
genitalia.
My intent was to paint Mother Nature, Mother Earth, Davis said.
I didn't understand that some people saw genitalia. ... I understand people
see different things in art, and they need to be free to do that. ... My
intent was to paint a praying woman.
Update:
The Beaver's Back
7th July 2010. Based on
article
from blogs.citypages.com
Bemidji City Council just voted unanimously to return a controversial
beaver to its rightful place on the Bemidji Sculpture Walk.
Painted by artist Deborah Davis, Gaea is a celebration of
womanhood and one of nine four-foot-tall ceramic beaver sculptures painted
by local artists.
But when 20 people called to complain about what they viewed as a vagina
on the beaver's belly, City Manager John Chattin took action and censored
her beaver from public view.
Davis wasn't going to take that lying down. She organized a Facebook
campaign that attracted local and national press attention.
As the beaver went viral, City Council was forced to call a special
session to address the controversy.
Gaea supporters came out in droves, speaking eloquently about the
artistic merits of the beaver. And as of tonight, the beaver is heading back
to the streets.
Gaea,
the controversial beaver sculpture, has been vandalized, but quickly cleaned
up and returned to normal.
