NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER: Nude Does Not Equal Lewd
Parents of children attending Morikami Park Elementary School in Delray Beach are upset that a nearby shopping center is displaying a sculpture by artist Itzik Asher that depicts a father, a mother holding an infant and an older child by the hand - all of them nude. The sculpture is “a representation of Jewish families who fled Ethiopia in 1991 under a covert Israeli military operation called Operation Solomon,” reports South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale):
"It's a figurative piece, somewhat abstract," said Richard Caster, who owns the [Addison Plaza] 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." …
[I]t'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.
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