It's not everyday you see a group of truck drivers milling around a flat bed with a statue of a sailor on his side smooching a nurse! Yesterday was a big day in Sarasota. "Unconditional Surrender", a 25 foot statue along the bayfront, was taken down temporarily to undergo maintenance. One of my first posts was about the statue, which was modeled after Alfred Jorgensen's V-J Day photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square. A local man bought it for $500,000 and wanted to donate it to the city with the stipulation that it must remain in public view on the bayfront ---- and that's when the controversy erupted in this arts community. Is "Unconditional Surrender" art? Everyone (it seems) weighed in, including the City Commission which was split 3-2 to accept the gift (with certain conditions attached). It so happens the statue was disassembled right around the time when the community was waiting to hear if the legal requirements had been met and whether the statue would remain. So, a few people were shocked and despondent when they saw a crane removing it. Fear not! It's taking a 1,100 mile road trip up to New Jersey where it will be refurbished and then returned to its permanent home on the bayfront in Sarasota. Imagine the looks the driver is going to get truckin' around with that load!
