Work continues on MAG Sculpture Park

1. The Centennial Sculpture Park will forever be morally degraded both by the presence of the works of Tom Otterness, the self-confessed sadist who killed a dog, filmed its death agonies and presented the video as a work of “art”, and by the fact that the director and governing board of the MAG, knowing of Otterness’ warped activities , nevertheless commissioned him to provide statuary for their park.

2. I don’t think that we as animal-lovers should make a big issue out of the Tom Otterness sculptures. True, Otterness did a horrible thing, but he did it once, many years ago, and has since expressed remorse. We should keep our sights on the big picture. (Frankly, I’m far more upset that there are no decent vegan options available at Max at the Gallery.)

   Here are some real problems that currently affect animals: We have a huge problem with pet overpopulation, particularly with cats. Breeders and pet stores sell the products of puppy mills. Local governments are passing breed-specific legislation, banning pit bulls and other so-called “vicious” breeds. Low-life thugs use dogs and roosters for fighting. And, of course, all of those problems pale in comparison to the single biggest problem facing animals: animal agriculture. Around nine BILLION animals are slaughtered each year in the US. These animals, while they are being raised, are generally treated quite horribly, and they also release enormous amounts of greenhouse gases that contribute more to global warming than does the transportation industry. And the manure causes environmental devastation on a more-local level.

   These are all big problems that deserve our attention. Tom Otterness is inconsequential to me, and we should save our moral outrage for other, more important issues. I’m not in favor of (or opposed to) forgiving him. Forgiveness isn’t ours to give. His sins should be a matter for him and his conscience.

   Anyone who wants to help animals should adopt from an animal shelter. If you can’t adopt, do foster care or volunteer in other ways. And, above all, go vegan. You can save roughly a hundred animals a year just by not eating them. Veganism is good for your health, good for the environment, and good for the animals.

3. To have the MAG glamorize what this disgusting & immoral person has done (whether in the past or now) is a slap in the face to all!! Anyone can express remorse! It doesn’t take away from the fact of what HE DID to a defenseless animal. To do it in the name of art is shameful.

4. Is it worse to kill a defenseless animal in the name of art than it is to kill a different defenseless animal because it tastes good?

5. Alex Chernavsky –

   Otterness was not some 14 year old high on pot when he performed his despicable act, but a 25 year old adult who methodically and in cold blood killed an animal to create his self-styled “work of art”. Oh yes, 30 years later he half-heartedly “apologized” for the killing. No word however on whether the dog accepted his apology.

   And also no word from Grant Holcomb at the MAG as to why, knowing Otterness’ moral lapse, they nevertheless opted to commission this sadist to create sculptures for the kiddies.

   Interestingly enough while the MAD is paying Otterness big bucks for his work, other organizations have had no problem in branding Otterness as a pariah even when he has offered them his stuff for free. In June of 2011, the Battery Park City Authority in NYC rejected the donation by Otterness of $750,000 in sculptures for the area’s new public library after his dog slaughtering was brought to the public’s attention.

   So please, spare us the excuses. As I said before, the presence of Otterness’ work in the MAG Centennial Sculpture Park will morally degrade that project., the MAG and all those who excuse and accept Otterness’ actions.

6. If you want to go on your vegan kick then HELL YES beef tastes good! There is NO comparison to killing a dog for art & a cow for food! Please don’t go spouting about the health benefits of eating vegan, I don’t have to eat meat but I do enjoy it!

7. I’ve been doing animal rescue for the past ten years, and I’ve worked face-to-face (literally) with both cows and dogs. I see no rational reason why cows should be less deserving of our compassion than dogs. I would no more eat a farm animal than I would eat a domestic pet. Kindness, respect, and compassion should not be limited to companion animals.

   With regard to Otterness, I’m not so much defending him as asking his detractors to take a hard look at themselves, and at society-at-large. How much of a problem do we have with “artists” killing animals? And how does the size of that problem compare to the other ways in which we abuse and exploit animals? And if we’re going to educate the public about ways in which we can all help animals, should we focus on small problems, or big ones?

8. Alex Chernavsky –

   With all due respect, the logic of equating a cow in an abattoir to a dog slaughtered on film evades me.

   First, I am unaware that any individual has entered a packing plant, personally dispatched a cow, filmed the activity and then attempted to present his/her creation to the world as “art”. On the other hand we know that Otterness shot and killed a dog in cold blood, filmed the deed and, voila, presented his 1977 masterwork, “Shot Dog Film” to the world..

   Second, for well or ill, our society as a whole is overwhelmingly carnivorous and sanctions the use of the slaughter house. This may be an evil (it certainly is inhumane, though no more inhumane than the Bambi Blasters that trek our forests this time of year and which you neglected to mention), or it may be the most efficient way to provide the protein necessary to sustain life. By all means work to convince Americans to switch to veganism. I wish you luck. But society has accepted the need for the slaughterhouse, whereas only a sick puppy (you’ll excuse the expression) would approve of or fail to condemn Otterness’ actions. Whether there is in fact no difference is a matter of personal opinion. Public morality has already said that a difference exists.

   Third, Armour , Swift, etc. are apparently acting within the law and are not deemed to be abusing animals. The same can not be said for Ottermess, although I don’t believe that he was ever cited for animal abuse, which is a crime in itself.

   Finally, you ask, “And if we’re going to educate the public about ways in which we can all help animals, should we focus on small problems, or big ones?” To which I answer, we first focus on the small problems as those are the ones we can positively impact right now and then use as a rallying point for action on the bigger problems. As the Russian proverb states, “A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic”.
   Or to put it more simply, we in Rochester can do nothing that will have an immediate impact on eliminating the use of animals as food. But we do have the power to protest the MAG’s unfathomable decision to provide a commission to Otterness by making his name stink in the nostrils of all civilized men and women and by withholding all future support from the MAG until they reject The Dog Killer’s involvement with the Centennial Sculpture Park.

9. ROFLMAO!!

10. “for well or ill, our society as a whole is overwhelmingly carnivorous.”

    That argument isn’t very persuasive. A few centuries ago, society overwhelmingly approved of slavery. Was slavery morally justified then? I don’t think it was.

    Korean society (among others) approves of eating dogs. Is it moral to do so in Korea? I’m not a moral relativist. I believe it’s wrong to bring unnecessary harm to sentient beings, no matter where you are located.

    “the logic of equating a cow in an abattoir to a dog slaughtered on film evades me.”

    If you worked directly with farm animals, perhaps the logic wouldn’t evade you. See, for example, this interesting article, titled, “The secret life of moody cows”:

    http://www.hedweb.com/animimag/cowpsych.ht…

    “ONCE they were a byword for mindless docility. But cows have a secret mental life in which they bear grudges, nurture friendships and become excited over intellectual challenges, scientists have found.

    Cows are also capable of feeling strong emotions such as pain, fear and even anxiety — they worry about the future…

    The findings have emerged from studies of farm animals that have found similar traits in pigs, goats, chickens and other livestock. […]”

11. Alex Chernavsky –

    I’m not defending the slaughtering of animals for food. So the stream of information on cows, moody or otherwise, is unnecessary. It also missed the point. Which is that while something can be done today to rid Rochester of the stain of Otterness by making it clear that animal abusers should be shunned, not rewarded, NOTHING can be done in the foreseeable future to convince the vast majority of Americans to stop turning Elsie the Cow into Big Macs.

    And I have to point out that your statement that, “Tom Otterness is inconsequential to me” is short-sighted in the extreme and only adds to the problem you claim you’re trying to fix.

12. Animal Rights abuses notwithstanding (not that they are not important, of course), I wonder why am I not reading any complaints about the artistic quality of Tom Otterness’ sculptures. These sculptures are infantile (not “child-like”, just plain dumb), superficial, stiff and not worthy of the prominence given to them at the garden. MAG is Rochester’s premier art gallery, it represents a window into the best of art, and represents as well a window into the University of Rochester’s Meliora motto: To improve. It is outrageous that MAG couldn’t have found a better artist, and that money (and everyone knows MAG is not wealthy) is being wasted on such a poor piece of “public art”. Something like Michelangelo’s Sculpture of David is the sort of public art a cultural institution like MAG should aspire to have, not a caricature like Otterness’ stick figures.

13. I agree ; these ridiculous figures would best be doodles on the sidewalk, not hulking stone giants on top of it.

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