A recent addition to Foreman Park has sparked controversy among the Syracuse community.

The statue, named ‘Wigged Monument,’ was placed in the middle of the downtown Syracuse park in mid-August, and members of the Syracuse Police Benevolent Association said they are not pleased with the statue’s location.

‘We’re not happy at all with it,’ said Jeffrey Piedmont, president of the SPBA. ‘We think it’s going to be disrespectful that it’s there since it’s by our memorial, which is there for deceased officers. We also weren’t told it was going to be there.’

The statue stands 11 feet tall, with a black oblong base topped with a giant yellow ‘wig’ made of Styrofoam and coated in plastic. It was installed through the Syracuse Public Art Commission as part of Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s Connective Corridor project. It has been placed directly in front of a memorial for Syracuse police officers who died while on duty.

Jessica Posner, a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the College of Visual and Performing Arts, designed the statue last year in her advanced sculpture class to portray a certain political message.

‘It’s a piece that critiques historical monuments,’ Posner said. ‘With a sense of humor, I’m attempting to draw attention to the fact that women and other minorities aren’t represented by other historical monuments.’

Piedmont said the SPBA isn’t happy with the design.

‘People are looking at it like we don’t like art, which isn’t it,’ he said. ‘This particular piece looks like a phallus symbol when you drive in from the east.’

Leah Pelletier, senior religion and television, radio and film major, said she appreciates the design of the statue. ‘It’s pretty humorous. It’s a nice change for Syracuse. The monument is supposed to be about women not being represented in history and it’s a phallus with a wig. I think it’s ironic.’

Some fellow students agree and said they tend to like the statue itself, but at the same time feel the statue’s placement should change.

‘I think it’s a very interesting statement and it’s provocative,’ junior chemistry major Gianna Di Francesco said. ‘It makes you think about statues and their underlying meaning. However, I think it should be a stand-alone piece. It’s almost mocking in a sense. It should go somewhere else.’

Piedmont added that he believes the statue belongs in its rightful place.

‘There are other parks and other places for the statue to go,’ Piedmont said. ‘Why not leave the memorial parks as memorial parks? I bet there won’t be any other statues around the Ernie Davis statue.’

Pelletier shared Piedmont’s stance on the sculpture’s location.

‘If the park is meant for fallen police officers, then the statue should be moved to someplace less controversial, but it should definitely stay in Syracuse,’ Pelletier said. ‘It all depends on the context of the park.’

The memorial for fallen police officers is made of granite and has 10 names on it. The first name is of an officer who died in 1883 and the most recent is Walli Howard, who died Oct. 30, 1990.

An annual memorial service held for fallen officers also commemorates Howard, since it takes place on the anniversary of his death.

‘He’s the most recent death and the one that we worked with, which is why we do a memorial for him,’ Piedmont said. Members of the SPBA said they hope to have ‘Wigged Monument’ moved by the time of the memorial.

Piedmont said he’s only seen progress made in conversations with the park commissioner. He’s currently speaking to the commissioner and the mayor, and believes this approach will work and result in the removal of the statue.

Posner said she understands why the SPBA is upset. ‘Their statue was there first, and it pays remembrance to some very important people.’

Although she sees their point of view, Posner also views the location of her statue as a valuable opportunity.

‘For a recent grad to have artwork in a public space is a great opportunity,’ she said. ‘The park is a great place because it’s on the Connective Corridor in a place where a lot of people can see it.’

Posner added the particular location in Foreman Park was not originally meant to house the statue. She said there was miscommunication between the city and the park officials about the location of her statue.

She said she’s upset by the reactions she has received about her statue.

‘A lot of the public has gotten involved, and it’s turned into a lot of personal attacks,’ Posner said. ‘There’s not much discussion. I hope that the SPBA and I can look forward to the future, and we can have a discussion about what my monument means and what their monument means and come to a solution. It seems like they’re working on one now.’

krkoerti@syr.edu

Published on October 19, 2008 at 12:00 pm