Pages

▼

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Otterness 'Large Covered Wagon' Feted in Dumbo; Now Can We Get Back to Our Lives?

After much discussion, Tom Otterness' bronze sculpture "Large Covered Wagon" was officially celebrated in Dumbo yesterday afternoon.

The Ebony Hillbillies put out a great bluegrass sound, the weather was sunny and a nice-size crowd turned up toting cameras and kids. Tom Otterness mingled with people and spoke to reporters.

A few people with dogs showed up, but they seemed to have no idea of the Otterness-dog controversy.


Everyone we spoke to said they were Otterness fans. Parents put their children up on the back of the giant bronze ox pulling the wagon and took their picture. They shook Otterness' hand (he's wearing the green checkered shirt) and he posed with them.

He seemed like a regular guy...

A reporter from the Brooklyn Eagle interviewed a small, cute boy sitting on the back of the bronze ox. Then the Brooklyn Paper's Gersh Kuntzman (photo, right) showed up and interviewed the same boy, who was still sitting on the back of the ox. Several people with commercial video rigs also taped him.

After the celebration, some of the attendees and a select few members of the media were invited to the Walentas' 15-story Dumbo penthouse for a private reception with Otterness after the event.

Needless to say, McBrooklyn was not invited.

- Artist Tom Otterness Apologizes For Shooting Dog
- Otterness 'Large Covered Wagon' Installed in Dumbo
- Dog Killing Past Still Haunts Otterness as Sculpture Comes to Dumbo
- Brooklyn Stonehenge

Photos by MK Metz
at

13 comments:

  1. C MerryApril 16, 2008 at 12:52 PM

    Pictured, the only people left now who don't know what he did and I wonder if they would choose supporting him with their taxes instead of shelters and rescue, spay neuter services. Hmm make him richer or help the animals...

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 16, 2008 at 2:42 PM

    I was talking to some very involved Dumbo folks this morning and they knew nothing about this dog affair. They were shocked to learn about it. Apparently not everyone reads blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 16, 2008 at 5:28 PM

    that Gersh guy looks a bit creepy in that phto

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 16, 2008 at 8:28 PM

    Ha. Maybe that why the child looks alarmed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. C MerryApril 16, 2008 at 9:05 PM

    Tom darling can't be bothered? So this Brooklyn eyesore isn't even new? It's just a knock-off recycle of his Beverly Hills piece from 2005/06?

    http://www.beverlyhills.org/presence/connect/CoBH/Homepage/For+Residents/News+and+Information/Uplink+Archives/RES-CM-200512_03_Otterness

    Click this. Since the text link might break.

    Wow he can't be bothered to use our Taxes to conjour something new! Seriously is this psycho just laughing at everyone as he counts his free money and fairytales and sculpts himself into his work? Who else are all those money bag creatures supposed to be?

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousApril 17, 2008 at 11:50 AM

    "Are you Tom Oterrness" -GK

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousApril 17, 2008 at 12:02 PM

    Leave Gersh Alone.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousApril 17, 2008 at 1:53 PM

    The banality of evil...

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousApril 17, 2008 at 1:54 PM

    11 02 i wish Gersh would leave us alone...

    ReplyDelete
  10. peterwattsMay 13, 2008 at 1:32 PM

    Here is a 360 panorama with the Large Covered Wagon sculpture standing in Dumbo. I came across it while shooting images of New York in April and liked it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. mcbrooklynMay 13, 2008 at 10:02 PM

    Hi Peter - great 360!

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousMay 27, 2010 at 2:09 PM

    @happy lol day. I wish people like you would stop complaining when the communities they live in try to make an effort for cultural enhancement with public art. Frankly, you're just bitching for the sake of bitching at this point. The truth is, people like you who complain about funding for public art don't sound intellectual, concerned about the issues, aware of current events, deep, worldly, practical or like they have some profound compassion and common sense that is inherently absent in the art community. Your a just a douche bag who wants to find a reason to bitch. And I'd be willing to bet that you probably aren't doing very much to help these issues in your communities otherwise, or you'll make something up on the spot for the sake of argument. No, you don't sound like a person in touch with reality. You're just a buzz kill. Which, is what I assume you want to be. You wanna help? How about volunteering instead of complaining about public art, fucking hypocrite. You wanna make a difference? then make a fucking difference, and leave Tom Otterness be. At least HE gives back to the community. Where I live we had this very piece donated to our park by Otterness. Given to us. Otterness has given much of his work free of cost, and makes it a point for his public installations be interactive for children. Frankly out of most artist I personally have known an encountered, he is among the few I believe actually deserves the money he makes. Quit ragging on a guy for getting paid. Hes not a fucking highway robber.

    ReplyDelete
  13. bjMay 30, 2010 at 4:36 PM

    That you Jed?

    ReplyDelete