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  1. Great solution David! This would be a win/win solution, as long as arts funding wasn't paying for it and advertising money was. I can't see how Fonzie's fans would mind where it is.
  2. My Goodness! What a fun flap about the Fonzerino!

    Let me see... Does anyone know who Andy Gump was, and in what city a 7 1/2 foot tall bronze statue resides fin his honor? He was a popular cartoon character before most of us were born, and his creator had associations with...Lake Geneva. Yup! There he stands in all his silly bronze glory. You can view an image of the Andy bronze at this very long URL:ℑ=KK2_52681.jpg&img=0&search=Art&cat=all&tt=&bool=phrase

    Does anyone really care and think that Lake Geneva is flawed because Mr. Gump stands there? Gertie the Duck and her offspring still represented in bronze on one of Milwaukee's bridges? How awful! How trite! How unsophisticated! How sentimental!

    And the blue shirt...? Oh! Yes...the Blue Shirt. Sorry...

    Then there are those public art commissions that have aroused the ire of various persons, critics or not, including one standing across from MIAD. Now...that is so much better than a bronze of the Fonz. Or is it...?

    OK. We are embarrassed to be seen as an unsophisticated city, one bereft of progressive thoughtful fine art. That is really not generally true, despite some pockets within our community that are that way.

    The beer bottle? The racing sausages? The cheese headed Packer fans? The goofy looking Bernie the Brewer or Bango the Buck's mascot? Are they all silly fun, or fine art? (I would love to see a Germanic Thor figure representing the Brewers instead of a costumed figure who used to slide into a beer mug.)

    Let the Fonz live, and let some regional artist make some money by designing and having him cast in bronze by a local foundry! It is a tourist gimmick! It is intended to be sort of goofy and fun! very careful where it is placed! Associating it with the Milwaukee Art Museum or in some sensitive sites really does seem like a bad idea.

    While some may define us for our provincialism, there are others who may define us as open minded and living in a gracious healthy community which truly spreads a wide net of sophistication.
  3. Gary John Gresl has the right attitude in my opinion. I don't mind the statue but agree location is the key. What about the State Fair grounds, where we joyfully celebrate the past every year. Those art snobs who say we "shouldn't look back" are missing the point entirely. When we go to a church picnic who among us doesn't smile at being able to flash back to a simpler time? Isn't that why many of us over 25 prefer church and community picnics to Summerfest? Kids playing on the grass, picnic benches, music, dancing, and home made food in a small town community atmosphere.... THAT'S what Fonzie represents because that's what the t.v. show set in Milwaukee represented, and still does in our hearts. Enjoying glimmers of a happy past does not preclude any one of us from looking forward, whether in our architecture, artwork, or attitude. Milwaukee was and still is the land of "Happy Days", and so are thousands of other small towns all across America. I see nothing wrong with adding a positive, feel good vibe to a tourist location in Milwaukee. Let's not go from provincial to pretentious!
  4. Fonzie or no Fonzie? More than 50 years ago on my first visit to Munich in the open green market near the Rathaus I saw whimical statues of two well liked Bavarian comedians known for their association with the city. It seems Minneapolis and Chicago were not the first to recognize those who should be remembered for bringing happiness into the public's lives.

    To many people the late 1950's was the time of Happy Days. Why not remember those days? It speaks the language of the "commom man". Isn't there a little corner near the skating pond or that little park near Boston Store? I can't remember if Fonzie rode a Harley, but if he did the new Harley museum would be a great spot. Or, how about the Broadway Theater area? I'm sure there are many other spots to consider.


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