URGENT - Petition for the immediate removal of the 8 Wings of City statues of naked men from Downtown Greenville

To Mayor Knox White, 

To City Manager John McDonough,

To City Council Members John DeWorken, Lillian Brock Flemming, Ken Gibson, Wil Brasington, Dorothy Dowe, Russell Stall,

To Arts in Public Places Commission Chair Katie Skoloff, Vice-Chair Kerry Murphy, and Members Matthew Garvin, Pamela Adams, Chris Watson, Kate Furman Patterson, Lindsay McPhail, Charles E. Ratterree, Adam Schrimmer,

To Wings of the City presenter Bank of America, 

To Hispanic Alliance, 

To Exhibit Sponsors Piedmont Natural Gas, BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, Michelin, Bon Secours, Furman University, the Peace Center, Community Journals, The Capital Corporation,

To representatives of the Carolina Foothills Garden Club, VisitGreenvilleSC, Artisphere, SC Arts Commission,

To supporters Community Foundation of Greenville, metropolitan arts council, and the Elbert Rogers Foundation,

We urge you to approve the immediate removal of the Wings of the City statues from Greenville. We, the people of Greenville, SC, deserve common decency in our streets and public areas.

The exhibit has 9 statues. 8 of the statues are of naked men, 1 with his genitals clearly defined. They are now displayed throughout Falls Park, in the Peace Center, and in front of the Peace Center on Main Street until October of 2021. We find this unacceptable.

As the WingsOfGVL website states, the “nine monumental bronze sculptures, Wings of the City allows art to expand beyond the walls of museums and galleries and become a part of daily life." 

We don't want statues of naked men to be a part of our daily life. You, our city's leaders and influencers, failed to realize these statues of naked men are inappropriate. Our public areas need to be family-friendly. 

It has been claimed that this exhibit promotes art as a universal language and a bond between countries and their people. It has also been claimed this is an opportunity to celebrate Mexican culture. This petition is not a complaint of Mexican or any hispanic culture. This is a complaint about naked statues in public places, genitals clearly defined or not.

These naked statues promote division, even among hispanics. In a time as divisive as it is now, why not choose artwork that promotes community unity? Why are the statues that were chosen so inappropriate and controversial? 

There seems to be limitless options of Mexican artwork that is family-friendly and can promote community unity without displaying nudity - the lone wings from the exhibit being an example. 

This may not have been your intent, but many of us are now alienated from downtown. Many of those alienated are the hispanics the city is trying to celebrate. 

Please, if you truly care about making our public areas a place for all to enjoy, display artwork that is not naked. Please remove the Wings of the City statues immediately. 

Make our public areas of downtown rated G for Greenville.