Please explain to me the fuss and fury regarding the proposed statue of Gene Kelly. What's with us?
As much as I love Pittsburgh, and I am mindful of our fondness for dissent, I have to wonder.
I consider it a good thing we tend to question certain things our city government might propose, but why get ourselves worked into a lather about a statue?
The criticisms continued last month after City Council approved a site for the statue on the traffic island in Gateway Center between the Hilton and the State Office Building.
Gene Kelly brought us nothing but joy and laughter and pride, even if he did take his dance shoes to the West Coast to achieve his dream.
Now we're even mad about that.
His dreams began here. His film career made it possible for people like myself and others all over the world to scrunch down in a theater seat and sail off to fantasy land of a Saturday afternoon.
And now some people want to punish him. To me, that's being picky, picky, picky.
I come to this controversy about where (or if) he should light up our landscape from a different place.
I am one of several unnamed committee members who first heard of this tribute well over a year ago. Called to be part of the group that would eventually meet and toss about ideas and suggestions, I was thrilled.
I was thrilled because of what Gene Kelly had provided me as a moviegoer through the years. I was proud he was from Pittsburgh. I adored him in "For Me and My Gal" with Judy Garland, had a crush on him as a matter of fact.
My sister and I sang and harmonized the title song from that movie for years while we did the dishes after dinner.
I want to make sure people realize this was not a willy-nilly idea that popped into someone's head for lack of something better to do.
What struck me right away was that this wasn't going to be easy. Before we could decide what was possible and what was "don't even think about it," we had to consider the appropriate place and sculptor, the city laws, the paperwork.
In the early stages, we dreamed big. Most certainly, we envisioned a constant rain falling over the statue, perhaps placed in such a way that children could run in and out of the "rain" on any given day. And it would be lit up at night with the never-ending flow of water making it as memorable as the dancing fountains at Las Vegas' Bellagio. Why not?
As we talked on, water presented many problems, particularly where the pipes would be placed and how the water would be recycled. It never got past the discussion stage.
Certainly, we talked about placing it in the most obvious location, the Cultural District. That was first and foremost. It was appropriate. Most of us would like to have seen it where the pile of rubble (it's called art) is located near the Benedum -- if not in place of that controversial artwork, at least nearby.
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust honchos said the Cultural District didn't have room for the statue, so we talked of other places where it would be visible and would make an impact. One choice was across from Fifth Avenue Place on Stanwix, where the "art installation" of trees was recently removed.
When the trees came tumbling down, I assumed it was to make way for Mr. Kelly. Wishful thinking.
I had no idea we had so many rules and regulations governing where you can put a statue.
But that's what a committee must figure out. You sit and listen and weigh and argue (just a wee bit) and rationalize and suggest and come to terms with what is possible and what is whistling in the wind.
Several artists submitted renderings to the committee, and when Susan Wagner was chosen, she came to a meeting with a small clay model of her proposed sculpture.
There was Gene Kelly, hanging from the lamppost by one arm, an umbrella in the other. I could almost hear the song "Singin' in the Rain."
Dissenters have come out of the woodwork.
People have asked why Gene Kelly should represent Pittsburgh, the proposed placement being one of the first things you see after you come through the Fort Pitt Tunnel.
He represents joy. That's good enough for me.
He would be one of many statues around the city that address the mix of talented people who once called Pittsburgh home.
Others argue young people won't know who he is. Well, we must educate them.
I never knew Stephen Foster. There will be generations who never knew Richard Caliguiri, a beloved mayor. I never saw Roberto Clemente play baseball, but I respect what he meant to Pittsburgh.
I have to admit, I rather like a reader's suggestion that the Kelly statue be placed on the perimeter of the Point Park fountain, under the spray. I haven't given up on the possibility of the look of rain falling on that smiling Irishman's face, just like in the movie.
If it's possible, let's do it. Let's dream big.
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