Spokane7
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June 10, 2011 in City
Hindu god sculpture draws critics in CdA
“Ganesha,” by Spokane metal artist Rick Davis, is part of “ArtCurrents,” the Coeur d’Alene public art display. Members of the Kootenai County Constitution Party are planning to picket the statue.
(Full-size photo)
Members of the Kootenai County Constitution Party are planning to protest today the dedication in Coeur d’Alene of a public artwork sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesha – a four-armed being with an elephant head.
A posting on the party’s website encourages Christians to protest the artwork, calling it an “abomination” approved by the “godless group of individuals” who manage the city’s public art program.
Though the protest is not a party function, it’s supported by many party members, who believe only Christianity provides a world view “consistent with the framing of our Republic,” said party Chairman Daniel Brannan.
“Many people in the party would tend to agree with opposing something like this,” said Brannan, who also opposes the sculpture. “It is representative of a false god, of a particular religion other than the one on which our country is so solidly founded.”
However, Gary Odom, field director for the Constitution Party’s national office in Pennsylvania, said a protest like that is “not something that has any great political value.” Generally speaking, he said, “I gotta think there’s a few more things more important than this. I can’t believe it’s something they felt was necessary.”
The Ganesha sculpture, created by Spokane metal artist Rick Davis, is one of 14 being dedicated today throughout downtown Coeur d’Alene as part of the city’s new “ArtCurrents,” a public art program. In ArtCurrents, which will reoccur annually, artists own the sculptures, which remain in place for a year and are offered for sale. The city receives 25 percent of the proceeds of any sales.
This year’s sculptures come from artists in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming, said Steve Anthony, the city’s staff liaison to its Arts Commission. Proposals were solicited from artists, and a citizens committee selected about half of the submissions. The artists received $500 stipends.
“The committee just looked at everything as art,” Anthony said. “Our intent was to do something positive and nice for the city.”
The sculptures depict everything from a giant stand-up bass to a woman playing with otters. There are elk, moose and deer. Other subjects include St. Francis of Assisi and a Native-American-themed “spirit bear,” which in some tribes represents harmony and peace, according to the program description.
“There are pieces of art that represent different cultures,” said Mayor Sandi Bloem. “I think that’s totally appropriate.” Bloem invited anyone who has concerns about the sculptures’ subject matter to attend the next Arts Commission meeting.
Brannan said government officials nationwide have been hypocritical about the separation of church and state when it comes to artwork. He said when Christians want to place public artwork depicting, for example, the Ten Commandments, those monuments regularly are turned away, but symbols of other religions are accepted.
He wasn’t speaking of Coeur d’Alene’s Arts Commission, he said, because he knows of no Christian-themed artwork that has been turned away.
The protest, he said, is a “matter of religious solidarity, not a political one.”
Two Fernwood residents dead after Monday accident 
MrBloggy on June 10 at 6:29 a.m.
MrB takes
umbrage
the angry bear
is not his
“spirit brother”
the maddening
bear
eats all the precious
purple gemmy
huckleberries
and hikers
in tents
Ganesha
is a mighty
God brother
MrB imagines
the end of lonesome
Friday nights
if MrB had a trunk
and four arms.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on June 10 at 6:36 a.m.
Pretty “Gutsy” for the arts folks to put up a sculpture of this nature in one of the five “Whiteopia’s” ( from the recent book of the same name) in the United States.
The “Constitutional” party does not sound as if they have actually read the constitution…. just hang on for the comments on this issue… john
Scoutster on June 10 at 7:05 a.m.
What’s next: Hindu evangelists cramming Vedas down our kids throats in public school?
Oh, where does it end!? The Horror!
God has said CDA was Christian, and that’s good enough for me. Take this golden calf and throw it in the Lake!
reservedparking on June 10 at 7:08 a.m.
Even the National Office thinks these guys are a bit off….
misjustice on June 10 at 7:13 a.m.
Jesus wrote the Constitution so that we would not have to contend with false gods presented in the form of “art”. Save us Jesus from the pagan image!
kma on June 10 at 8:07 a.m.
Kootenai County Constitution Party….try to find anything about it, not filed with Idaho Secretary of State. These people are truly NUTS!!!! It is ART for God’s sake. Talk about a bunch of hypocrites!!!! DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO. Not giving up on finding out more information on these psychopaths!!!!!!
Let the idiots protest and show their ugly stupid faces.
SpokyDaBear on June 10 at 8:07 a.m.
What’s so wrong with a Hindu artwork? Nothing wrong with being exposed to different religions from around the world.
People need to take a chill pill.
kma on June 10 at 8:19 a.m.
Is Daniel Brannan the same one that is a professional illustrator? If so, he has no darn room to say a darn thing about this art.
Well said SpokyDaBear, thank you. Christian extremists are this country’s biggest problem and with idiot extremists like this so called constitution party spewing their nonsense, because unfortunately some will follow suit and will follow their hate of anything that is not what they believe in. Sad but oh so true.
kma on June 10 at 8:20 a.m.
Oh, wait, maybe the art counsel didn’t accept a piece of his (Brannan’s) art…now I get it. Jealous and mad, so time to slam someone else’s art!!
Providing_Buttonholes on June 10 at 8:31 a.m.
Why are we wasting money on this at all? Regardless of the religous aspect… lets focus on the financial one.
ManleyPointer on June 10 at 8:45 a.m.
At first I didn’t think this story was really worth printing, let alone reading. Just a bunch of “artists” in a two-bit Idaho town (and I don’t use ‘two-bit’ as a pejorative), getting together to display the fruits of their artistic loins in a public setting. So what if there’s some funky-looking elephantine god/demon/lord included among them; who could care about that in this era of kung-fu pandas, talking rats and dissembling weiners? But then I realized that what the SR is doing is giving the right-wingers a chance to rail against those who believe differently than they do, and the left-wingers an opportunity to channel their inner Jon Stewarts. So the righties can sit back and stew in self-righteous indignation, and the lefties can slap each other on the back and tell each other how effing hilarious they are. Everyone’s “happy,” everyone “wins.”
Thanks, SR!
Phaedrus on June 10 at 9:18 a.m.
“I gotta think there’s a few more things more important than this. I can’t believe it’s something they felt was necessary.”—Odom
You’d think that, IFyou didn’t know how petty and closed-mined these folks are. Odom has obviously not been to Idaho.
CougarGold on June 10 at 9:25 a.m.
MP - Funny analysis! However, I think SR is just reporting local/regional news and it fits the category since a political group is unofficially behind the protest. Sort of a canary in the coal mine analogy; not much in the way of news, per se’ but more about the ideology of an organized political party in N. Idaho.
I claim to be a Republican but certainly, by the standards of those seemingly ruling the party these days, I’m a RINO. This kind of religious exclusion in the name of the Constitution is so egregiously contrasted by the First Amendment that it’s laughable if not for the seriousness of the direction of our country. SR bringing a story like this to light serves the purpose of exposing more of the fringe and far right influences that are driving the party. And it’s not very attractive.
ManleyPointer on June 10 at 9:45 a.m.
Part of the problem people have in discussing these issues (and these groups) is that we are tempted not to look past the labels that people affix to themselves. For example: any group or organization with the word “constitution” in its title I find to be immediately suspect, even though I am a strong believer in our constitution as the ultimate law of the land. There seem to be a lot of people who misappropriate the constitution to support fringe or borderline lunatic beliefs. They affix the word “constitution” to their group in order to claim (in some odd way) the imprimateur of the U.S. constitution; they seek a legitimacy or gravitas that they could not otherwise attain. In reality, though, the beliefs and practices of these groups are about as far from “constitutional” as you can get.
Then when those of us who try to be thoughtful include constitutional concepts and arguments in our conversation, we tend to be lumped in with the fringe by those who disagree with us and don’t bother to look past labels. It’s frustrating.
CougarGold on June 10 at 9:56 a.m.
MP - I agree. It’s not unlike Richard Butler tying the Aryan Nations to a strict but distorted interpretation of the Bible or Al Qaeda with a strict but distorted interpretation of the Quran. Fringe elements tend to distort evidence to support predetermined beliefs rather than following and interpreting evidence that lead them to a previously unproven belief. As with any investigation, people should follow the evidence and see where it takes them rather than determining the destination then distorting the evidence to support their dominant belief.
johnclarke on June 10 at 10:04 a.m.
“Though the protest is not a party function, it’s supported by many party members, who believe only Christianity provides a world view “consistent with the framing of our Republic,” said party Chairman Daniel Brannan.”
Hahahahahahaha ! Easily the funniest thing I’ve read today. Wow, are these people out to lunch. Mmmmm lunch.
MrNatural on June 10 at 10:28 a.m.
…Rumor has it the statue will be accompanied by a Taco Truck with a rainbow banner…
Thoreau on June 10 at 12:48 p.m.
They’re just mad that Ganesha has more arms than Jesus.
greenlibertarian on June 10 at 2:45 p.m.
“Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians — you are not like Him.”
-Bara Dada
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mohandas_Karamchand_Gandhi
Kathy9 on June 10 at 5:17 p.m.
Really? “god has said cda is christian” - did i read that right? Please dont make idaho or christianity any more of a dismissable, right-wing kookoo job than it already is. Our teachers are not teaching hindu to your kids. This is art. Let it be.
scootwes on June 10 at 10:11 p.m.
Carl Sagan wrote a book called “The Demon-haunted World”, exposing the superstition that inflicts religious culture: you see demons and evil spirits and angels behind everything that happens. Giving those things up makes us more tolerant and understanding of people and cultures that are different than us, and less fearful. It will come to North Idaho, but it might take a bit longer . . .
Barbcvm on June 11 at 7:21 a.m.
So it is OK to have a statue of a Hindu god where every one can see it.
But is not OK to have the Ten Commandments in public. Nor is it acceptable to have bible verses in sight or any other Christen symbol.
Hypocrites ! !
lankydeems on June 11 at 2:56 p.m.
I agree that it is ridiculous that this is even an issue; This is simply a piece of artwork that represents a major world religion… but Barbcvm has a good point. Why is it okay to display one religion’s artwork but not another (more dominant) religion’s artwork? I think the city should’ve saved the money to use on infrastructural improvements or one of the many other issues small-town America is suffering from.
Kathy9 on June 13 at 9:10 a.m.
Barbcvm, because nobody is cramming ganesh down your throat. We dont insist, as has been done in these discussions, that ganesh wrote the constitutionor hat he founded Cda. His writting or commandments or praying has not been taught to kids in school. The intolerance of christians has had to be over compensated-for in our “public” forums because of what its history has been.
Kathy9 on June 13 at 9:11 a.m.
Sorry, the T sticks. Should have been “that the”
KarenAScofield on June 13 at 4:59 p.m.
The golden rule has its genius. Imagine that. “Love thy neighbor” doesn’t mean we have to literally love our neighbor, hug them, go to their temple/synagogue/church/mosque/circle/grove and spend weekends BBQing together or whatever.
It’s more along the lines of encouraging, as a social norm, enough mutual courtesy and respect toward others so that we’re not doing to others what we wouldn’t like done to us (prejudice, for example). In this sense, reciprocal ethics like “love thy neighbor” and similar expressions from across the globe are the basis for human rights and is essential to democracy.
Our democratic forefathers knew this and made it clear that the threat of “mob rule” or majoritarianism is supposed to be restrained by ensuring the rule of law protects minorities or individuals against demagoguery (appealing to prejudices) or moral panic (fear, often creedist fear, of upsetting the social order).
And because our sights can be set much higher than legalism, reciprocal ethics (including but not limited to “love thy neighbor”) come into play.
As for hypocrisy, theocratic (Christian only in our part of the globe) displays on public (government) property are not okay because they may give a **political** message of establishing religion. Pluralistic **art** displays that may depict themes from many religions are obviously not trying to establish a religion but allow diverse expression in a pluralistic nation instead. That some people wish the U.S. were a theocracy, well, that’s their disinformational problem. They should read the U.S. Constitution, U.S. history, and the theory and history behind democracy (democracy theory and practice started under Pagan rule, by the way).
We do not live in a theocracy. We live in a democratic republic that protects religious diversity…and artistic expression.
There really is an inverse relationship between political correctness and imagination. There really is.
Kathy9 on June 13 at 6:14 p.m.
Well said Karen. Thank you.
bigdan on June 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Really? Jesus wrote the Constitution? These folks may be part of the Constitution party but they have obviously never read it.
I’m a person of faith but this is ridiculous. This is exactly why religion and government should be separate. I could see this kind of reaction in a theocracy like Iran or Yemen but in CdA and by the so called Constitution Party?
These folks need to spend some more time at their next meeting studying the Constitution and what it stands for.
IdahoConservative on June 18 at 12:22 p.m.
Its not about what god it is or what religion said god belongs. Its about the double standard against Christians. What do you think would happen if a statue of Jesus were put up? The protests against it would be tremendous and the ACLU and “separation of church and state” folk would be pouring in to CDA.