[Evergrey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090208/ap_on_re_us/airport_mustang

Denver's rearing blue mustang draws wild reaction

P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writer P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writer – Sun Feb 8, 2:22 pm ET


http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20090208/capt.edfd1bb24f744608b149eae2a34045d9.bye_bye_blue_mustang_coea101.jpg?x=261&y=345&q=85&sig=pOUP0Wnsw2wHaL.lIRcYBw--


DENVER – Rearing 32 feet high, the metallic blue mustang sculpture demands the attention of every traveler through Denver International Airport.

But that wild look of "Mustang" is prompting some to wonder if the sculpture installed just a year ago should be moved somewhere less prominent. Alternate monikers suggested for the horse with the glowering eyes include "Bluecifer," "Satan's Steed" and "Blue Devil Horse."

"What exactly was the deal with that horse?" said Rachel Hultin, a Denver real estate agent who's behind a Facebook site that derides the sculpture.

About 28 million travelers last year passed by the rearing blue horse, located south of the main terminal.

"It's not the image you want in your head as you're about to board a plane," said Christie Carlson of the Denver suburb of Thornton. "My daughter asked me `Is that the devil's horse?'"

Stan Ryland, a business development manager from Huntington Beach, Calif., isn't bothered by the horse's look.

"That's what horses in the wild look like," he said as he waited to board a plane Saturday. "They survived the wilderness and the mean ones led the pack."

The city of Denver commissioned the fiberglass sculpture from New Mexico artist Luis Jimenez in 1993, two years before the airport opened. His 1969 sculpture "Man on Fire" and 1990's "Vaquero" have been displayed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In 2006, Jimenez was killed when a section of the unfinished horse fell from a hoist at his Hondo, N.M., studio. Jimenez's sons, Adan and Orion, completed the sculpture, which was installed Feb. 11, 2008.

"We worked very closely with the artist's family," said Erin Trapp, director of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs. "I don't think that anybody ever considered not finishing."

Jimenez's widow, Susan Jimenez, said the original proposal was for a sculpture of a buffalo stampede. That was rejected because buffalo were hunted to near extinction in the West.

Jimenez then proposed the mustang — wild horses that symbolize the West and provided long distance travel, like airplanes today.

Trapp said any petition to move the sculpture wouldn't be considered until 2013, a city policy designed to give people a chance to get used to new public art. "People's relationships with art change over time. It's something you have to live with before you really appreciate it," Trapp said.

Hultin hopes Denver will move the sculpture to another part of town where anyone can learn more about it.

"It's not a piece of art that people are going to shrug off," Hultin said. "It's sparked a pretty passionate conversation."

That's exactly what Jimenez wanted, his widow said.

"That's what art is supposed to be. It's supposed to be memorable and it has to evoke a feeling," Susan Jimenez said. "The worst thing for him would have been to be ignored."

___

On the Net:

Art at Denver airport: http://flydenver.com/guide/art

Rachel Hultin: http://www.byebyebluemustang.com/

[dktshb]

I think it is pretty cool. It certainly got my attention when I was in town over the holidays.

[BTinSF]

Here's the WSJ story:

U.S. NEWS
FEBRUARY 7, 2009
A Horse of a Different Color Divides Denver
Blue Mustang Sculpture Shocks Visitors, Perturbs Poets; 'Because of This Thing, People Think They Are in Hell'
By STEPHANIE SIMON

http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-DC011_DENVER_D_20090206131655.jpg

DENVER -- The mustang rears on splayed hind legs -- his nostrils flaring, his eyes glowing red, his taut body a slick, sweaty sheen of blue. Anatomically correct -- eye-poppingly so -- the 32-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture makes quite a statement at the gateway to Denver International Airport.

But that begs the question: What kind of statement, exactly?

"It looks like it's possessed," says Denver resident Samantha Horoschak. "I have a huge fear of flying anyway, and to be greeted at the airport by a demon horse -- it's not a soothing experience."

Many people here agree, calling the muscular steed a terrifying welcome to the Mile High City.

Now a local developer, Rachel Hultin, has launched a campaign to get the wild horse moved so it isn't the first thing visitors to Denver see. In the past month, Ms. Hultin has signed up about 7,600 supporters on her Facebook page, Bye Bye Blue Mustang. This week she dropped off 200 protest haiku at the mayor's office. (Sample verse: Because of this thing / People think they are in hell / Instead of Denver.)

But uprooting public art turns out to be quite tricky. Especially a piece as emotionally freighted -- and as critically acclaimed -- as Mustang.

The Denver airport commissioned the sculpture in 1992 from Luis Jimenez, a widely honored artist known for melding Chicano themes and Western history in exuberant sculpture. The airport is full of public art, most of it much tamer -- silver pinwheels in a tram tunnel, a fleet of sky-colored paper airplanes. The mustang was to be a symbol of Denver and the West.

Mr. Jimenez was killed working on the sculpture. In 2006, while he was hoisting pieces of the mustang for final assembly in his New Mexico studio, the horse's massive torso swung out of control and crushed the 65-year-old artist. Mr. Jimenez's widow and children helped finish the sculpture, and it was installed last February at the airport, at a cost to the city of $650,000.

'Built With Love'
"You look at the piece and you just know it was built with love," says the artist's widow, Susan Jimenez.

The jabs flung at the mustang by amateur critics -- who have described it as "mean," "scary," and "like the Ringwraith horse from 'Lord of the Rings' " -- perplex Ms. Jimenez. She says she's disappointed that people don't seem to grasp her husband's intent.

The eyes are light-emitting diodes, which burn red like taillights. They are an homage to Mr. Jimenez's father, who ran a neon-sign studio in El Paso, Texas, she says. The well-articulated body, laced with bulging black veins, pays tribute to a mighty breed that Mr. Jimenez saw as a symbol of freedom, strength and the American West.

When she looks at the mustang, framed against the wide prairie sky, Ms. Jimenez thinks of her husband petting his beloved appaloosa, Blackjack. "I know he didn't mean anything demonic by it," she said. "I'm sorry if people are afraid of ribs on a horse."

Mr. Jimenez's sculptures grace museums and public squares all over the country: rugged Mexican cowboys, or vaqueros; dancing señoritas in ruffled skirts; a huge purple ox; weary migrants. His "Southwest Pieta" -- which depicts a Native American bent over the body of a woman with flowing hair -- was designated a national treasure during the Clinton administration.

Awash in carnival colors, the sculptures may look like they've popped out of a comic book, but they're imbued with deep emotion and stamped with the history of a people and a culture, says Betsy Broun, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington.

"His is not a quiet, meditative, reflective art," Ms. Broun says. "It's an art that says, 'This is important!' and reaches out to grab your attention."

Firm Support
Most cities have had controversies over public art, but Ms. Broun says she's shocked to hear that anyone opposes the Denver Mustang. "It's fabulous," she says firmly.

Many Denver citizens beg to differ.

"When they unwrapped it, I was just horrified," says Dena McClung, who watched from the airport tower, where she worked as an air-traffic controller until her recent retirement. "It makes me feel like I'm looking at something out of a science-fiction movie."

A list of nicknames suggested last year by readers of the Rocky Mountain News ran from Beelzebub's Blue Bay to Satan's Stallion. The protest haiku drew on similar themes, as in this one:

Ugly devil horse
horrifies the traveler
shames our fair city

"It's disturbing," says Nancy Harris, a Denver painter. "As an artist myself, I totally respect the artist's vision. But I don't think it's representative of the Denver community."

Mr. Jimenez's stallions have sparked uproars before. A much smaller (and more muted) version of the blue mustang "caused quite a stir" when installed at the University of Oklahoma's art museum in 1997, says Susan Baley, a curator. "It just didn't fit peoples' definition of public sculpture," she says.

Mr. Jimenez appeared on the campus to respond to the complaints in person, drawing an audience of 700, a record crowd for the art museum. The sculptor's charisma, passion and humor won over many of his detractors, Ms. Baley says. (It didn't hurt, either, that the museum moved the sculpture to a less-prominent location.)

"It's become a local landmark," Ms. Baley says. "People have adjusted."

Denver officials are hoping for a similar response. City rules require any public-art installation to remain in place for at least five years, to honor the artist's intent and give the work a chance to grow on the public.

Resigned to looking at it for at least the next few years, Ms. Hultin, the leader of the anti-Mustang campaign, now plans to launch a public-education effort to demystify the sculpture.

Art Workshops
She envisions brochures in the Denver airport, articles in in-flight magazines, and plaques describing the artist's style and intent mounted along concourse walls. She'd even like to hold workshops for taxi and shuttle-bus drivers so they can respond to startled comments from visitors coming across the mustang for the first time.

Her goal: Instead of being scared, "when people see it, they'll be like, 'Oh, that's interesting,' " she says.

Erin Trapp, director of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, hopes for more enthusiasm than that. She says the city has logged plenty of nasty calls about the statue, but also many glowing comments from fans who find it clever and powerful. The passion on both sides thrills her, and she hopes it doesn't fade.

"The point of art is not just to make beautiful public spaces but also to engage people," Ms. Trapp says. "That's when we know we've had a success -- when people care."

Write to Stephanie Simon at stephanie.simon@wsj.com
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123395183452158089.html?mod=todays_us_page_one

I think it's the eyes. They make it look "Satanic".

[Jasonhouse]

I think the eyes are odd, but otherwise it's pretty cool.

[dktshb]

That second picture of it is pretty spectacular!

[Cirrus]

Hey, I've got an idea.

Let's do a statue of a horse, but instead of painting it tacky colors that look like a cartoon, let's make it out of metal or stone or something halfway dignified.

Anybody remember when public art used to be attractive? This whimsical nonsense was fine when it was the exception, but now that every freaking art installation is "whimsical", it's just become stupid.

[Strange Meat]

A comment from an older Post (http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11577271) article...

welcome to Denver; we're a little bit Western and a little bit freaked-out due to our peyote and meth habit!

[BTinSF]

Hey, I've got an idea.

Let's do a statue of a horse, but instead of painting it tacky colors that look like a cartoon, let's make it out of metal or stone or something halfway dignified.


How about making it out of wood and filling it with soldiers.

[mind field]

I don't care, that horse is bad ass! Welcome to the wild, wild west baby. People need to quit being so overly sensitive and dramatic. It IS creepy that the horse did kill it's creator. Maybe it's an omen of the coming apocalypse!

[LMich]

Bad ass, indeed.

Do any of you really want another recreation of Leonardo's horse? I think it's become a bit tired and stale.

Fredrick Meijer Garden, Grand Rapids, MI

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/3145700497_fca4ae540b.jpg
rkramer62 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkramer62/3145700497/sizes/m/)

[ardecila]

What is it with DIA and really, really creepy art?

Mural
http://www.deepspace4.com/pages/chemtrails/chemtrailcro/chemtrialcomonfiles/pics/picsfullsize/ostalo/dead.jpg

There is, of course, a conspiracy theory out there about the airport being an alien landing site or something... but I just think Denverites have a very odd taste in art.

[Strange Meat]

Denverites have a very odd taste in art.

You're right.

We all collaborated on it.

[mthq]

I love it.

[PhillyRising]

I like art that gets a reaction out of people....like a giant Clothespin in the middle of the city.

The horse is cool.

[909]

People are complaining too much these days, but I think this is a cool statue.

"It's not the image you want in your head as you're about to board a plane," said Christie Carlson of the Denver suburb of Thornton.
Well, Simferopol Airport (Ukraine) offers also a great image for boarding passengers... :D

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s356/chrisinoekraine/P1020070_edited-border.jpg

[Top Of The Park]

....we put it there to discourage money grubbing evangelists...so they went to Colorado Springs, 70 miles south

[vid]

Much better than Thunder Bay's former airport art piece.

There are no pictures of it, because most people didn't know it was art. It was a pile of point rocks on top of a piece of asphalt painted blue. No one is really sure what it represented, but apparently it was a compass?? They moved it to a small park out in the bush, which is a more appropriate site, I guess.

[tmnt mask]

I love the horse sculpture.

All hail satan!

[krudmonk]

It's so thin, like a horse on....horse...

[SacTownAndy]

I like that new "Denver International Airport" sign that changes colors near the 45-min waiting area, but this horse freaks me out whenever I drive by it- esp at night when those eyes are bright red. I have a lot of out of state visitors come into town and the most common response so far has been, "WTF?!?!".

[shane453]

The sculpture is a twin of another by Jimenez found on the University of Oklahoma campus, which was installed in 98. The creepy red eyes freak us out, too.

http://www.ou.edu/artcollections/images/collections/contemporary/jimenez-mesteno.jpg

[jard]

They should have the Denver Horse fight the Denver Bear.

http://debtorby.typepad.com/connections/images/blue_bear_and_tree.jpg
Source: http://debtorby.typepad.com/connections/images/blue_bear_and_tree.jpg

[Top Of The Park]

They should have the Denver Horse fight the Denver Bear.

http://debtorby.typepad.com/connections/images/blue_bear_and_tree.jpg
Source: http://debtorby.typepad.com/connections/images/blue_bear_and_tree.jpg


Now you're talkin'...;)

[dchan]

I always thought the people of Denver loved the Broncos. So why not intimidate the team coming in to face them with a kick-ass horse at the airport?

[Strange Meat]

Now you're talkin'...;)

http://photos-f.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2260/236/20/629750364/n629750364_2504085_872.jpg

Lighting fail on the photoshop but you get it.

[FrancoRey]

Umm...that pic doesn't make it look like they are about to 'fight'. :haha: Maybe if you turned the bear around.

The more I see the horse, the more I get accustomed to it. I can't say I like it much still, but I accept it more than I used to. I just can't take the eyes...so hellish! They might as well put a strobe light on it.

http://prairieflounder.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/sculpture.jpg

The new art piece I REALLY can't stand is that stupid sausage pile/dildo thingy in the Highlands. :koko:

http://www.jimonlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/wang0.jpg

[texcolo]

What? You guys don't like 'Old Meth'?

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090208/capt.edfd1bb24f744608b149eae2a34045d9.bye_bye_blue_mustang_coea101.jpg

Denver needs more abstract sculpture like this Henry Moore for example...

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/texas/dallas/dallasmoore/moore3.jpg

It gives the homeless a great place to urinate.

:tup:

[DenverInfill]

The new art piece I REALLY can't stand is that stupid sausage pile/dildo thingy in the Highlands. :koko:

http://www.jimonlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/wang0.jpg

Hey, leave our saggy-boob electric penis (http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2008/11/welcome_to_denver_saggyboob_el.php) alone! :)

[SpongeG]

What is it with DIA and really, really creepy art?

Mural
http://www.deepspace4.com/pages/chemtrails/chemtrailcro/chemtrialcomonfiles/pics/picsfullsize/ostalo/dead.jpg

There is, of course, a conspiracy theory out there about the airport being an alien landing site or something... but I just think Denverites have a very odd taste in art.

they talked about it on caost to coast am a couple weeks ago

basically the airport is the place where all the important people will go when the s**t hits the fan and they will board a secret undergorund train into the rockies where they will be kept safe

the mural depicts the robot aliens who will fall victim to the rainbow children or something weird

denver will be the capital of the union of north amercia - canada. mexico and USA will form one country... as denver is apparently in the geographical middle
or something

anyway its pretty out there and the murals are pretty weird and lined up with what the dude was saying

weird stuff indeed

[Jasonhouse]

The new art piece I REALLY can't stand is that stupid sausage pile/dildo thingy in the Highlands. :koko:

http://www.jimonlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/wang0.jpg

Yeah, that one's weird... During the day, it looks like a pile of kidneys or something. At night, the phallic shape and the soft glowing red light gives it a sexual sort of vibe... Like it could be the sculptural mascot out on front of a sex store called 'The Dildo Shop'.

[vid]

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/texas/dallas/dallasmoore/moore3.jpg

The fallen out teeth of meth heads. :yes:

[SnyderBock]

The complaints are filled with words, "hell," "possessed," "evil," and these are religious concepts which mean nothing to me. Their complaints are meaningless to me. That's the truth. If they want to relocate public art which captures people's attention, they need something more substantive than religious concepts which many people don't agree with.

So that leaves the words, "terrifying," "scary," I'm sorry, but it's a statue, not a supernatural omen of impeding doom. it's not a living horse about to stomp their vehicle as they drive by. If this concept is just too hard for them to grasp, well perhaps they are detached from reality a little too much or need some kind of therapy. I don't know, I'm no doctor, but I would suspect it couldn't hurt.

[texcolo]

Creepy art. What do you expect when the runways are laid out like a giant swastika...

http://www.colorado-mapsite.com/maps/us_co_denver_airport_vp.gif

That airport is bad ju ju.

[bobdreamz]

well the horse sculpture did kill it's creator...maybe it is haunted!