‘Hammering Santa’ Seattle Landmark Gets Unauthorized Face Lift

Pranksters decked more than halls early Wednesday - they put a red-and-white Santa hat on the 48-foot “Hammering Man” statue outside the downtown Seattle Art Museum.

But folks who want to see the unauthorized bit of Christmas cheer had better hurry. Preparations were being made to remove the hat early today.

The “Hammering Santa Foundation” claimed responsibility, the Seattle Arts Commission said.

“This is our gift to the city of Seattle in the spirit of the holiday season,” said a fax sent to the commission, which owns the sculpture. “Don’t be the Grinch that stole Christmas. Support Hammering Santa! Thank you and happy holidays.”

It was not clear how the hat was placed on the statue, though one source suggested an extension pole was used.

While the commission “supports the group’s wish of holiday cheer,” it also has an obligation to support sculptor Jonathan Borofsky’s artwork “in the form in which he created it,” said executive director Wendy Ceccherelli.

“In keeping with this policy, SAC will work with the Seattle Art Museum to remove the hat.”

It’s not the first time Seattle’s “Hammering Man” has been enlisted for a holiday statement. The all-black sculpture, one of a series by Borofsky, swings a hammer over its head and down to about chest height.

In 1993, Labor Day dawned to reveal a ball and chain attached to one of the statue’s ankles. That addition was a statement on the plight of the American worker, declared faxes from “Subculture Joe.”

The guerrilla art coup was later attributed to ironworker-sculptor Jason Sprinkle and a group of other guerrilla artists.