Pentagon Art: $600,000 Gurgling Toad Sculpture

[SouthernDZ]

$600,000 federal money for a friggin toad - why am I not surprised?



Pentagon Art: $600,000 Gurgling Toad Sculpture
By PAUL BEDARD

A $600,000 frog sculpture that lights up, gurgles "sounds of nature" and carries a 10-foot fairy girl on its back could soon be greeting Defense Department employees who plan to start working at the $700 million Mark Center in Alexandria, Va. this fall. That is unless a new controversy over the price tag of the public art doesn't torpedo the idea.

Decried as wasteful spending that will be seen by just a couple thousand of daily workers who arrive on bus shuttles, foes have tried to delay the decision, expected tomorrow, April 1. But in an E-mail, an Army Corps of Engineers official said that the decision can't be held up because it would impact completion of the huge project.

The City of Alexandria just announced that there are four works of art being considered and that a final decision needs to be made fast. The artwork was put on display for public comment from March 24 to today. The Alexandria News first reported the hasty announcement to decide a winner.

The schedule surprised some who thought that the costly artwork project was on the "back burner," according to critic Donald Buch, a member of the mayor's advisory committee overseeing the Mark Center project. "What's the rush?" he asked.

Buch says he's not opposed to art, just high-priced works that won't be seen by many. He estimates that only 2,500 will see the artwork every day as they use the bus transfer station at the Mark Center. "Who the heck is going to see it," he asked. "To spend six hundred grand to amuse the same people every day is nuts."

The Mark Center is one of the facilities that thousands of defense workers will be reporting to as part of the Base Realignment and Closure plan, or BRAC, that is shifting workers around Virginia and Maryland. The BRAC plan itself has been criticized as wasteful.

The four art proposals for the bus terminal include works for a wall and sculpture. But the one drawing most attention is the fairy and frog from artist Cheryl Foster. Her proposals describes the sculpture this way: "A 10-foot fairy, using an American Toad as 'transportation,' scurries to the entrance of the station. The interior of the toad is illuminated and the sounds of nature emanate from his throat." She said that nature inspired her.

Buch suggested instead that the Corps should consider a nature park or water feature, not a toad.

According to the Corps, the artwork was the city's idea. A city official, however, said that Alexandria officials didn't demand art, but just asked that public artwork be included in the structure. What's more, the official said that the $600,000 is federal money, and that no Alexandria funds will pay for the art.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/was...toad-sculpture

[Gypsy]

Stupid is as stupid does.

That is ridiculous.

[Pete]

How about a surplus tank?

Or an Iraq war prize tank or APC?

Well, we could always name it the TOC Toad.

[Richard]

Nice artwork. Seems a bit expensive...even in this era of anything to stimulate the hell out of the economy at the taxpayer's expense - but I'd have to see the itemized cost breakdown and going market rates for such works to really offer much of an opinion on it.

Anybody ever read about the controversies over the Washington Monument, and the Vietnam and WW2 Memorials?

2,500 people per day seems like quite a few gawkers to appreciate a sculpture like that one to me.

And hey - what's a mere $600k amid the likes of all this DOD stimulatin' fever...

Despite improvements, more than half of the Pentagon’s big weapons systems still cost more than they should, with management failures adding at least $70 billion to the projected costs over the last two years, government auditors said Tuesday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/bu...0military.html

And so it goes...

Richard

[edoo118]

When I saw the headline, I wondered why the Pentagon wanted a sculpture of my old commander

[CSB]

What's more, the official said that the $600,000 is federal money, and that no Alexandria funds will pay for the art.

Oh, I see, it's FEDERAL money.
You know, that imaginary money that grows on trees and falls to the ground for anyone to recover.

Not to be confused with American tax dollars, taken from citizens by men with guns who wear shirts reading "IRS" if not paid.

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by Gypsy

Stupid is as stupid does.

That is ridiculous.

Gypsy,you stole my standard quote that Sally said was strictly for my own personal use........

Big Teddy

[greenberetTFS]

Richard,

Seems a bit expensive./quote//Richard/

You aren't serious are you?............... OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR A TOAD................ Give me a break............

Big Teddy

[Stras]

Hell, I'll send you the Toad that hangs out under my door at night looking for bugs. We just trained him on the CONOP process and are doing the MDMP training tomorrow night. He completed M4 qualification yesterday.

Send me the $600K.....

That way we can pay for his security clearance..

[dr. mabuse]

*

[Gypsy]

Originally Posted by greenberetTFS

Gypsy,you stole my standard quote that Sally said was strictly for my own personal use........

Big Teddy

Can I pay you a tax?

[Dozer523]

It's a TOAD,
it carries a 10-foot FAIRY,
it sounds like PISSING,
it's in DC.

What's the problem? It's not like they're tryin' to put it in Amarillo.

[Defend]

And yet another step in "beautifying" the DoD. They're grooming us. Issued smartphones in basic, no more land nav in WLC, shortened training schedules, fairies and frogs for the Dept civilians, does anybody else see the trend??

If they insist on expensive art, why not a tribute to DoD civilians during WWII?

I find myself more and more drawn to the stories of our past wars to remind myself what we, the armed services, used to be. I know there are still a lot of good guys (and gals) among our brothers, but the percentage is dwindling. Now I'm off to bed in a bad mood.

-out