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Groton Daily Independent
Saturday, June 09, 2018 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 330 ~ 50 of 59
Maureen Matthews.
“I think some people will be offended,” said Mat-
thews, who is not bothered by the statue. “It is silly. There are bigger issues to worry about. But I’ll be interested to see how people talk about it on Sunday.”
“Forever Marilyn” is one of 36 statues by artist Seward Johnson that are on loan and on display in the down- town area through the summer. They’re part of the city’s annual “Art in Public Spaces” program. All the statues except Marilyn are life-size and depict people doing everyday activities.
City resident Lorri Tamburro told The Advocate newspaper that she found it disturbing to see children climbing on the statue’s leg and looking up the skirt.
“Ijustfindthepositiontobeoffensive,”shesaid.“It was,inmyeyes,verydisrespectful.Ilookedatitand IthinkbecauseofwhatIsawwithalltheselittlekids lookingup,theheightisruiningit.It’sruiningbeauti- ful Marilyn.”
The response to Marilyn and the other statues has been overwhelmingly positive, said Sandy Goldstein, president of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District, which is hosting the exhibit along with spon- sors including real estate finance firm UC Funds.
Goldstein noted there are many nude statues out- doors in Europe — and near churches — that are ac- cepted by the public.
“It is art and we don’t believe it is offensive,” she said. “We absolutely mean no disrespect to the church.” The Rev. Dr. Todd Grant Yonkman, pastor of the First Congregational Church, has a sense of humor about
the statue, but said it was an odd artistic choice. “The issue is, Why that statue,” he said in an email to The Associated Press. “Marilyn Monroe was an artist deserving our respect. Why appropriate her image in
this way. Is this the best we can do?”
He said he heard Monroe’s husband at the time of
“The Seven Year Itch,” baseball star Joe DiMaggio, wasuncomfortablewithhershootingthesubwayvent scene.
“Maybethecitywouldletusgivehersomepants?” Yonkman said.
This Thursday, June 7, 2018 photo shows SewardJohnson’s“ForeverMarilyn”sculp- tureinLathamParkinStamford,Conn.The 26-footstatuethatwasnewlyinstalledin theparkisscandalizingsomebecauseher rear end is facing the entrance of the First Congregational Church. (Michael Cummo/Hearst Con- necticut Media via AP)
This Thursday, June 7, 2018 photo shows Seward Johnson’s “Forever Marilyn” sculp- tureinLathamParkinStamford,Conn.The 26-foot statue that was newly installed in theparkisscandalizingsomebecauseher rear end is facing the entrance of the First Congregational Church. (Matthew Brown/Hearst Con- necticut Media via AP)