To be truly ignorant one has to be unwilling to listen and learn. This the case with the democrats who are suppose to represent my interests and the interests of those culturally concerned people in Queens.
An art historian from Stony Brook University has joined forces with Queens residents to restore the “Civic Virtue” statue outside Borough Hall, which they said has been unfairly maligned by area politicians, who have called for its removal without looking into the artwork’s history.
“Civic Virtue,” finished by American artist Frederick MacMonnies in 1919, depicts a nearly nude man with a sword, towering over two female figures. The sculpture was recently called sexist by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens and Brooklyn) and Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst), who said they supported moving the statue out of the borough.
“I wouldn’t argue that politicians are wrong, or people are wrong, or stupid because they see this work as sexist in some way,” said Michele Bogart, an art history professor at Stony Brook and a Brooklyn resident. “I would argue they’re not paying close enough attention to the work. They’re reacting in a knee-jerk way and haven’t bothered to understand the history of it.”
Bogart, who had just finished writing a scholarly article on “Civic Virtue” when Weiner held a press conference calling for its removal in early March, said the statue could be used to teach students and the general public about the history of the city and the borough, as it was commissioned by the mayor in 1909 and ultimately dedicated in 1922. It was controversial from the beginning, with women’s rights groups calling it sexist after its dedication, which Bogart noted was just after the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
“Women’s groups looked at the work in a rather literal way and didn’t take account of the fact it was an allegorical personification of virtue triumphing over vice,” Bogart said.
Many residents have denounced the condemnation from Queens politicians. Community Board 9 recently passed a resolution calling for the statue’s restoration, which Bogart said could cost up to $1 million — far less than the $20 million price-tag Borough President Helen Marshall had cited. However, the more modest work of cleaning the statue, fixing some of the broken stonework, among other things, could cost in the range of $100,000 to $150,000, Bogart said.
“I wouldn’t believe there’s any government money for restoration, but we’re hoping to garner enough publicity so that private art organizations will find it worthy enough to at least try and dedicate some funds or help raise funds,” said CB 9 Chairwoman Andrea Crawford.
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) said at a CB 9 meeting last week that it was highly unlikely any city funds would be dedicated to the statue.
“There’s no way we can put any city money into ‘Civic Virtue’ when we have to put money into infrastructure,” Koslowitz said at the meeting. “Roads need repairs, I’m putting money into parks and into the school system.”
CB 9 District Manager Mary Ann Carey said she has received a deluge of e-mails, phone calls and letters in support of restoring the statue and keeping it in the borough.
“This is a public work of art, and it should be conserved,” Carey said. “What other public art is there in Queens? There’s the Unisphere, and there’s this. Now they want to take this away.”
Bogart suggested the borough president allocate a small amount of money for the statue, which she said could be followed by support from private individuals and groups.
“The city does not have the funds right now, so all the community board is trying to do is get the backing of the Queens Borough president to provide a small amount of seed money that could be used to catalyze a movement to raise private funds to get the monument stabilized,” said Bogart, who began researching “Civic Virtue” while conducting research in the late 1980s for a book on public sculpture in the city.
Bogart suggested a plaque be placed by the statue summarizing its history.
“Use the work as a vehicle to educate people on the complexities of art, the representation of male-female relationships, about Queens and the city,” she said.
HEAR! HEAR but this plea has fallen on deaf ears and ineducatable brains. Don't believe what these people's media hype tells you. Experience and learn who these people are really for and what their ambitions really mean for the people of Queens. No vision-they fail to see a golden opportunity for tourism and education because they lack imagination and their minds are closed! Anyone who opposes them is labeled crazy (as in my case by Anthony Weiner and a sexists - this after I have authored six books dealing with the subject and hundredes of articles--so much for respecting those you are supposed to respect and who you want to work and vote for you. WOULD YOU? I don't think so.
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