Delray Beach, FL – The bronze statue parked outside Addison Plaza shopping center west of Delray Beach is drawing the ire of parents of children who attend nearby Morikami Park Elementary School.
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“My daughter has been joking about it,” said Jeffrey Cohen, whose 6-year-old daughter attends summer camp there. “She shouldn’t be talking to me about this.”
The anatomically correct figure is part of a sculpture by artist Itzik Asher titled Journey to the New, which represents the journey of Russian and Ethiopian Jews from their homes to Israel.
It depicts a family — a father, a mother holding an infant and an older child by the hand. The figures are larger than life and elongated. Their nudity is subtle.
“It’s a figurative piece, somewhat abstract,” said Richard Caster, who owns the shopping center and has other large sculptures peppering its front lawn. “It’s natural and beautiful.”
Caster said he’s received some complaints, but also praise. He said he rotates the sculptures throughout the shopping plaza.
Journey to the New previously has been on display at the Palm Beach International Airport, at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach and at Mizner Park in Boca Raton.
But Jamie Garroway, Morikami Park PTA president, said she found it distasteful and e-mailed parents Wednesday morning, asking them to file complaints with Caster and with Palm Beach County Code Enforcement.
“Everybody has a different idea of what art is,” said Garroway. “If this piece was at a museum I would not have a problem with it.”
Still, Terri Pavals, a teacher in the school’s summer program, said she has not heard any of the children talking about the piece.
“It’s the parents who have been talking about it,” she said. “The children don’t really make an issue of it.”
Asher, the creator of Journey to the New, could not be reached for comment despite attempts by phone. But it’s not the first time his sculptures have drawn public scrutiny. In 1995, the Boca Raton City Council made him cover the private parts of several of his sculptures with cardboard fig leaves until public outcry and national attention about the city’s position prompted a change of heart from city officials. He later removed the leaves.
In 2005, The Siren, a sculpture of a mermaid by Lake Worth-area artist Norman Gitzen and installed at the Wellington Community Center, generated complaints over the size of its breasts.
“It’s a shame that people respond to art in this way,” said Armand Bolling, director of the Karen Lynn Art Gallery in Boca Raton. “If they walked into the Vatican they would walk into a lot more radical stuff than that.”
Meanwhile, Cohen said he hopes the owner of the plaza removes the sculpture before school starts next month.
“There are 900 kids in the school that are going to be exposed to it,” he said.
Yes -this is the biggest problem in the frum world.
You should not display any organs that you are not willing to sell.
this is nice art – grow up.
abt time to have a talk with ur child abt the human body, this is beautiful art.
Art like this could lead to mixed dancing
The biggest artist of all has created the human body, perfect beyond perfect, yet there are laws about nudity. Why shoud art by a mortal being be any different?
they look anorexic and sick ughhh
In Europe they have statues that are completely anatomically correct; we were amazed at what we saw in public parks in Norway. In Europe they don’t care as much about these things. In America we make a big deal out of it.
What normal person would care about this kind of art. You see it in every major city in the world. Grow up yiddin.
I dont see a problem when parents make a big deal they draw attention to things like this with their kids! So if u dont like it then dont speak of it kids that r yound would see it look at it and its over most kids will not think twice!
I dont see a problem when parents make a big deal they draw attention to things like this with their kids! So if u dont like it then dont speak of it kids that r young would see it look at it and its over most kids will not think twice!
as long as nobody gets turned on from this than its 100% ok for children to see this . Its good for them to get to know the human body & not have to wait till they get to the horny teen ages