Dumbo NYC

Notes from the DUMBO, Brooklyn NY neighborhood


Otterness Sculpture Comes to Dumbo

April 15th, 2008

Tom Otterness

There will be a dedication at 5:30pm today, for Tom Otterness’ Large Covered Wagon. The 15.5 foot long, seven feet tall bronze sculpture is located on the corner of Prospect Street and Washington Street in Clumber Corner. The Brooklyn-based Otterness created Large Covered Wagon in his DUMBO studio where he worked for many years; the Otterness workshop has recently moved to larger space in Gowanus. According to the plaque next to the statue, the project is made possible by a grant from Two Trees Management Co. and the Walentas Foundation and sponsored by the Dumbo Improvement District. While this art is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, a dark past surfaced on the McBrooklyn blog. Both McBrooklyn and Brooklyn Daily Eagle received an apology to a past regrettable incident from the artist who said that “It was an indefensible act that I am deeply sorry for”. The installation will be on view through January 2009.

Tom Otterness

{Dumbo on the Range, 12Apr2008, Brooklyn Paper}
{Otterness Does DUMBO, 13Apr2008, Gothamist}
{Brooklyn’s vibrant arts community is getting a really huge humorous Sculpture, 13Apr2008, Artbistro}
{Artist Otterness Apologizes for Decades-Old Dog-Killing Incident, 14Apr2008, Brooklyn Daily Eagle}

Filed in Dumbo Art, Dumbo Events, Dumbo Improvement, Dumbo in Media, Prospect Street, Washington Street at 9:30 am
Comments
  • loose stool
    "a past regrettable incident" is an odd way of describing what this clown did. This guy is a millionare because of his publicly financed art. Short of financing an animal rescue center this turd doesn't deserve the time of day. His apology is qualified with "well, haven't we all had bad days?" Whats even sicker is his act was premeditaded. Even that actor/baseball player who strangled his girlfriends cat did it in a rage and he's gone.
  • Grunt
    I have to agree with poo poo head on this one. I think I'll show my appreciation by letting my dog piss and shit on the sculpture and leaving it there. Anyone care to join me?
  • mikenyc
    dog killer!

    i hope someone puts a sledge hammer to it.
  • DOT
    From the Brooklyn Eagle Article:

    “Thirty years ago when I was 25 years old, I made a film in which I shot a dog. It was an indefensible act that I am deeply sorry for. Many of us have experienced profound emotional turmoil and despair. Few have made the mistake I made. I hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me -- Tom Otterness.”

    The incident happened 30 years ago. I'm not making any excuses for the guy, but I'm only 28 and not the same person I was when I was 18. It was an extremely cruel and inexplicable thing to do, but before you go chastising the guy for his past sins just think about what AMERICA was like 30 years ago... barely out of the civil rights era. If "certain citizens" had to forgive "other certain citizens" for the injustice and cruel acts happened upon them 30 years ago, I think we can give this guy a break.
  • loose stool
    Hey DOT, should we give Michael Vick a break too? You talk about the era like it was the dark ages. Where are Vicks civil rights. At least Vick killed his dogs when they were wounded. This F**k got the dog, set up his camera, took a meter reading, adjusted the lights, looked for a hot spots made his film, edited his film and put it out there. This was hardly a whim, it was premeditated and thought out, not done by someone "depressed" or feeling bad about his mediocre art career.
  • DOT
    The point is if Michael Vick did what he did 30 years ago most people wouldn't blink an eye. Our society has evolved over the past 30 years, we've become more civilized to some extent(outside of our foreign policy), we don't condone lynching of humans or shooting of dogs. If the artist committed that dreadful act in recent times he'd be in court just like Vick. The point is that it was 30 YEARS AGO and the man has apologized. Who knows... maybe 30 years from now we will all be apologizing for killing lambs and baby cows for the selfish pleasure of a fine meal. Perhaps we'll protest other societies in this world that eat dogs and cats like we eat chicken. Who knows? For now, I have more important things to concern myself with other being angry about someone's past 'regreted' transgressions.
  • jessmiss
    First, I'm a curator and this is a dog - of course, no pun intended. It's my own opinion, albeit it an educated one, but this is not what I would refer to as "art" in any positive term of the word. Second, I am surprised that those who have commissioned this dreck did not do a thorough enough background check before they commissioned this person and his ugly past. Not even negative publicity can make this piece appealing.
  • Yawn
    Who cares. It was a dog. Some people eat those.
  • ?
    totally agree, jessmiss.

    tom otterness's studio was in dumbo for years -- maybe this is partly why he was selected?
  • BT
  • Given Otterness' history with canines, the location is an odd choice given its name, Clumber Corner.
  • CG
    Is this the same guy whose work appears in the 14th Street A/C/E station?
  • EK
    Oh the irony: Clumber Spaniel, also known as the “retired gentleman’s shooting dog”. and yes, this is the same artist who's statues are in the 14th St station.
  • mikenyc
    i dont remember any frequent lynchings or shooting of dogs in nyc 30 years ago?
  • woah
    DOT is sure right on this one. It's silly to retroactively judge a person for 30-year-old behavior by today's super-sanitized societal standards and laws.

    Currently many thousands of dogs are killed by the ASPCA every day. For these dogs, no different from a gunshot to the head, everything just goes black.

    Those who love animals should be worrying about solving this problem, not worrying about this artist.
  • loose stool
    mikenyc, why don't you take this one. I'm exhausted by all these hyper amoral, non judgmental turds.
  • mikenyc
    i like stool
  • Cherish
    I agree that we should not judge people for bad behavior or bad choices they made when younger, but pre-meditated murder is not just a silly bad judgment call of a college kid. There is something very sick and wrong if a person is able to kill an animal and call it art.
    Also, I think comparing what the ASPCA is forced to do (putting down animals) because of people’s lack of controlling the pet population and shooting a dog for your own selfish needs is wrong. Not a fair comparison at all.
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