Latest news with #statue
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
North Dakota's historic sites will finally have toilets that flush
BISMARCK, N.D. — Lawrence Welk didn't have a flush toilet where he grew up, but visitors to his childhood home in rural North Dakota now do. The bandleader's childhood family home marks the latest step in the State Historical Society of North Dakota's nearly completed goal of installing flush toilets at its dozen most popular, staffed sites. The most recent success, with the final three planned to be completed soon, came before the unveiling of a statue of Welk at a site that draws fans who recall 'The Lawrence Welk Show,' which ran on TV for decades starting in the 1950s.
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
Doug Ford says he pushed to free Sir John A. Macdonald statue at Queen's Park
Premier Doug Ford says he encouraged efforts to remove a wooden structure that, for five years, has hidden the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald on the Ontario Legislature's front lawn, saying the province has to support Canada's first prime minister and stop worrying about the past. The decision to reveal the statue, pushed by Progressive Conservative and Liberal members of a legislative committee earlier this week, has reignited debate about Macdonald's tainted legacy at a time when the province is facing new tensions with First Nations. Speaking to reporters at Queen's Park on Friday, Mr. Ford said Ontario has to face its past in order to move forward with its future. 'I've been working on getting that box taken off,' Mr. Ford said. 'I can't wait. I'm getting a lot of messages. So yeah, we're freeing John A.' Robyn Urback: A proud country cannot keep its first prime minister in a box Editorial: Understand the past to fight for Canada's future The Premier added that it is not the time to argue about a statue, but rather to come together as a province. 'You have to support our first prime minister. You know, things have happened over a number of years, but we can't just box them up. We have to move on. Stop worrying about the past,' he said. 'Let's start working together as a country.' The Macdonald statue has been covered with grey hoarding since Black Lives Matter protesters splashed it with pink paint in 2020. It is one of several prominent statues of the first prime minister to face vandalism or be removed entirely owing to Macdonald's role in the establishment of Canada's Indigenous residential school system. At present, the Progressive Conservative government is facing vehement opposition from Indigenous leaders over its Bill 5, which would give Ontario sweeping powers to speed up the construction of new mines or other projects. Opposition NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa, the Legislature's only First Nations MPP – and who attended a residential school – said earlier this week the decision to reveal the statue is disrespectful, especially as First Nations have had to come to Queen's Park to battle Bill 5, which they say violates their treaty rights. He warned that the unboxing of Macdonald could result in protests, vandalism or even the toppling of the statue. He said the government should instead move the statue to a museum, or build a memorial for the victims of residential schools and put up a plaque explaining what Mr. Macdonald means to First Nations. The statue is set to be cleaned and covered in a protective film and unveiled in the summer, said Donna Skelly, the Speaker of the legislature who presides over its debates and the grounds. A sign long posted on the Macdonald statue's hoarding will be 'formalized' and remain on display, Ms. Skelly said this week. It tells visitors that though 'we cannot change the history we have inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind.' The sign also says the Speaker is 'considering how the depictions of those histories in the monuments and statuary on the Assembly's grounds can respect all of our diverse cultures and peoples.' Mr. Ford urged critics to protest peacefully. 'You can come out there and jump up and down and protest all day long, do cartwheels. That's democracy,' he said on Friday. 'Vandalizing property is not democracy.'
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Ryhope's stolen pony statue replaced by mystery artist
Villagers have awoken to a replica pony standing tall in place of a bronze metal statue which was cut down to its hooves last original in Ryhope, Sunderland, was stolen in August 2024, while an identical statue at the other end of the village was sliced down by thieves in 2021, with nobody ever traced for either new bronze-coloured, fibreglass effigy by a secretive sculptor appeared on one of the concrete plinths welcoming visitors to the village on Friday families of miners previously said they were heartbroken by the theft of the statues, which they said were memorials to those who worked at Ryhope pits. Councillors previously estimated it could cost £34,000 to replace each original, and that the council faced "financial pressures". The person behind the replacement artwork, who is only willing to be identified on social media as Ryhope Horse, said they had been "vexed" every time they passed the remains of the original statue."It annoyed me to see the cut-off feet every time I drove passed it," they told the BBC."[It was] just a matter of local pride, I wasn't going to let the thieves spoil it for Ryhope." The same sculpture was first installed at the village's other plinth in 2023, but was repeatedly damaged and the same mystery artist replaced it with a more sturdy concrete statue."Once that [concrete statue] was made, I concentrated on repairing this one and making a suitable base to fit it to the taller plinth," the artist said. "Now we have two again."Villagers were left baffled in 2023 when the replacement statue first appeared, hailing the cryptic creator who had "gone to so much trouble" to make the pony. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
CBS News
28-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Illinois state lawmaker wants to build statue of Pope Leo XIV, funded by commemorative license plates
An Illinois state lawmaker has proposed creating a commemorative license plate honoring Pope Leo XIV, in order to help pay for a statue of the Chicago-born pontiff at the state capitol in Springfield. Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) has introduced legislation that would direct the Office of the Architect of the Capitol to oversee the design and fabrication of a statue of Pope Leo, who grew up in south suburban Dolton. While the proposed legislation does not set a specific budget for a statue of the pope, it would also call for the creation of a commemorative Illinois license plate to finance the sculpture. The commemorative license plates could be purchased for $27 in addition to the normal registration fee for the appropriate vehicle type. From that fee, $12 would go toward the cost of the statue, and $15 would go to cover the costs of the plates themselves. The cost to renew the commemorative license plates every year would be an additional $17 on top of the normal registration renewal fee, with $15 of that going towards the cost of the statue. The Illinois State Capitol grounds already are home to statues of Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and other prominent figures, as well as memorials for fallen police officers, firefighters, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Uproar over 'obscene' 50ft statue towering over San Francisco's skyline that 'nobody asked for'
A towering 45-foot-tall statue of a naked woman has sparked uproar in San Francisco after it was unveiled along the city's iconic Embarcadero. The sculpture, titled R-EVOLUTION, is the work of California artist Marco Cochrane and was first unveiled at Burning Man in 2015. The statue - weighing a staggering 32,000 pounds - was too heavy to be installed in New York's Union Square earlier this year, where it was initially headed. Instead, it has now found a temporary home in Embarcadero Plaza. But its latest appearance - standing completely nude in a major public plaza - has ignited fierce backlash online and in the city. Critics have blasted the piece of artwork as 'obscene' and saying 'nobody asked for it.' 'Somebody put up a 45' naked lady statue in San Francisco, nobody asked for it,' one X user fumed. 'Now you have to walk between her legs to get from the Ferry Building to the Embarcadero.' The statue has her arms outstretched, her eyes closed, and her bare body towering over pedestrians just steps from the bay. The display - which began Thursday, April 10 - is expected to remain in place through October. After that, organizers say it may be leased or sold. From 5-6pm everyday, the statue 'breathes' as built-in electronics cause her chest to slowly rise and fall in a show. But many residents have slammed the statue. 'Who funded this dumb ass s**t?' one commenter asked on X, as photos and videos of the sculpture circulated widely. Others complained the statue was installed without any public input. It was a move permitted because the project was privately funded. 'R-EVOLUTION is public art only in the most literal sense: It exists in public space,' local NPR station KQED wrote. 'The public - as in, the people - had nothing to do with it.' Despite being labeled a message of 'feminine liberation,' the 47-foot sculpture wasn't even made by a woman. Cochrane, 63, has said the piece is meant to inspire a 'shift in perspective' around gender and power. The display - which began Thursday, April 10 - is expected to remain in place through October But not everyone is against the eye-popping artwork. 'I'm impressed by the musculature, the accuracy,' retired physician Daniel Murphy, who came to see the piece in person, told Courthouse News. 'There's just a lot of anatomical detail that is more accurate than I would have expected.'
