Spiked

Taking guns off the street is fine. Turning them into art is not.

Comments (0) Thursday, Sep 18 2003

...continued from page 1

Ted Troxel, an artist who lives near Central and Roosevelt, says the sculpture is "not really representative of our aesthetics. It just feels a little corporate, and, in a way, naive."

Miley says the sculpture perfectly reflects the area, where he's lived for more than 20 years. "This neighborhood has overcome all the [violence] and gone beyond," he says. "It saddens me in my heart," he adds, to hear how other artists view his work. But he says, "The major part of this project is to take away the mystery, take away the highbrow aspect of art."

Rand Carlson

More About

There's no mystery, according to Miley's detractors, who say the artist has politicized the public art selection process for his own personal gain -- which translates to our loss.

The "horrific" design for the sculpture "cancels out the good intentions of his core project," one says.

Ultimately, Miley's good message might just be lost to bad art. The Spike just hopes no one comes to blows over it.

E-mail spiked@newtimes.com or call 602-229-8451.