Appleton Neighbors Upset Over 'Scary' Sculpture

‘The Collective' sculpture on East College Avenue in Appleton.

Saturday, December 21, 2019 7:58 a.m. CST by Rob Sussman

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) -- An art installation in Appleton is getting a lot of attention, and not all of it good.

“It doesn’t fit the neighborhood,” neighbor John Bunks said. “With the old historic homes, it’s out of place; it’s too big.”

Bunks called the peice, entitled 'The Collective', "scary". It's a sculpture on East College Avenue that looks like a giant face made up by masks made out of Propane tanks. The masks look like something out of "The Legend of Zelda", or, in Bunks' wife's opinion, "Halloween".

“It looks like it’s dingy and dirty,” Bunks’ wife said. “When I look out my house, I see Mike Meyers!”

Colgate, Wisconsin based artist Paul Bobrowitz is OK with the attention.

“This piece is connecting with people, because it’s getting a lot of reactions. This is a good thing!” He said. “It’s stimulating a lot of conversation, which is a good thing - we need to be talking to each other more!”

The sculpture is part of a two-year installation. It was chosen, by popular demand, to be included in Sculpture Valley’s third season of ACREofART.

The city council unanimously approved the sculpture’s location in November but, after hearing from residents, the Municipal Services Committee is rethinking that decision.

The committee will meet on Jan. 13 to begin discussions.