Follow-up to Bronze, Fonze and Folly?
in Full Moon Edition 1, 10.26.07

By Katherine Murrell

Last month in STI,  I wrote about Visit Milwaukee and their
proposal to commission a bronze statue of “The Fonze” of
Happy Days fame to be placed in the downtown area.  Dave
Fantle, Vice President of Public Relations for Visit Milwaukee,
met with me to discuss the proposal.    


Fantle wanted to address some of the concerns voiced by the
public about this project.  He told me that he was surprised that
there would be any negative reaction to the plan, noting that
Minneapolis and Chicago, both locations for TV Land
sponsored sculpture projects, were met with nearly universal
enthusiasm.  Reactions from readers to STI, as well as
OnMilwaukee.com and the Journal Sentinel, to the idea have
been a mixed bag.  It seems that in Milwaukee, to our credit,
there is much sensitivity to public art, and people are not
hesitant to speak up about the quality of the creative projects
that dot our cityscape.  Fantle defends the project, stating that
he doesn’t see the Bronze Fonze as “high art,” but as a
whimsical addition to the downtown.  However, he feels that to
deny the project legitimacy as an artistic enterprise is to
denigrate the efforts of the artist undertaking the project.  

The artist, who has been selected but is as yet unnamed
(author’s note: the selected artist, Gerald Sawyer of Lake Mills,
was announced on Nov. 27) was chosen from a pool of area
sculptors who were solicited for proposals.  The casting of the
statue will be done locally.   OnMilwaukee.com will be involved
in the development of a website (www.bronzethefonz.com,
active as of Nov. 27), and Brew City Promotions will develop t-
shirt designs. The website is expected to be up at least by the
end of the year, and t-shirt sales will help fund the project,
along with the donations received from area civic groups and
other organizations.  Fantle sees contracting with area
businesses as a way of “recirculating” the project’s funding into
the local economy.

Questions of relevancy were also brought up, but Fantle
believes that Fonzie’s character as “the tough guy with a heart
of gold” is a positive role model, and for those not familiar with
the television program, he represents a classic type of
coolness.  Moreover, he believes that the public will enjoy and
embrace Fonzie as a recognizable figure, in comparison with
historical sculptures such as Solomon Juneau and General
MacArthur.  Basing the sculpture on the physical likeness of
Henry Winkler is also a way of honoring the actor for his
personal contributions to society, as a children’s book author
and advocate for those with learning disabilities, as he dealt
with the challenges brought on by his severe dyslexia.  

Ultimately, the Bronze Fonze project is conceived as a tourist
attraction, and according to Fantle, is not necessarily a
marquee destination in itself, but something that will be an
added element to the Milwaukee landscape, a place for visitors
to seek out and that will lead them to explore the city on foot.   
As of late October, the exact site had not been selected, but
the intention is to place the sculpture in a location that will
include Milwaukee landmarks or distinctive views to enhance
the association with the city.  The sculpture will probably be
sited on private commercial property along the Riverwalk,
making is accessible to the public but placing it outside of the
realm of city art committees.

So what is the ultimate design plan for the Bronze Fonze?
Fantle stated that is yet to be determined, but is probably going
to include another sculptural element besides the figure of the
Fonze, though it’s not planned on being a motorcycle (Fonzie’s
character rode a Triumph, so in deference to Harley-Davidson,
the bike will be left out).   The interested public will be held in
suspense however, as the plans are not to unveil the final
design until the installation of the sculpture, at this point
planned for autumn 2008.  


Read Fonze, Bronze, and Folly?
Full Moon Edition No. 2  11.24.07
Copyright 2007 Art History Chicks LLC
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Actor Henry Winkler as The Fonze.
Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fonzie
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READERS WRITE IN...

11/25/07

If the Fonze folly is on private land, then it sidesteps the vetting
of public sculpture, does it not? Or does it? There is a triangle
park (city owned) on Water & Humboldt. In it are 4 sculptures
"donated" by Michael Mervis, who claims to have gone through
all of the "proper" channels. Susceptible needs to explore how
"donations" end-up in city owned spaces. Who (exactly)
okay-ed the stuff? Diane Buck asks the question in connection
with Fonzie..and I'm asking the question in connection with the
triangle park.

- Judith Ann Moriarty



11/27/07

I wasn't aware that we were suffering a Fonz deficit. Who cares
if there is another piece of mass produced art in the mix. We
are up to our necks in this sort of consumer based art and the
reason for that is because like it or not it has an audience. If
there is no public demand for quality work perhaps at least part
of the fault should lie with the artists. I'm not saying that you
have to "play to the crowd" as it were , but  I believe that if a
piece of work is produced that is compelling enough, that
people will want to see it happen and will get behind it enough
to bring it into existence.A good example is the Calatrava.
Remember how much people bitched and moaned when it was
being built, but the idea was strong enough that there was
enough will to carry it through. Overnight it became the symbol
of this city. I guess what it boils down to is this , Stop moaning
about the Fonz , If you don't like it , make something better.

- C. Murphy




11/28/07

I still don't buy the pitch. Chicago and Minneapolis may have
similar pieces in tribute to TV characters but they also have
substantially larger downtown centers. Their "art pieces"  --
and I cringe at referring to a statue of a TV character as art, no
mater how skillfully executed -- are not located front and center
on their main, signature street. Unless there's been serious
backtracking that I'm unaware of, the site is to be at Water and
Wisconsin. It's my sense that downtown Milwaukee is still
somewhat precariously rebuilding itself. Adding a sculpture of a
TV character that's been long off the air to me doesn't tip the
scale positively. There is so much more that needs to be done
to retain and attract business to downtown, and prevent the
first choice for locating or expanding being the suburbs. Even
with the small company I work for, the owner couldn't wait to
move from downtown Milwaukee to Waukesha. It's a shame.
And beyond the eight-to-five business element, we need to see
the efforts continue to make downtown an attractive place to
shop and dine.  I'm sure the actor, Henry Winkler, is a
wonderful person but that's a pretty weak argument in favor of
a bronze statue of him as the Fonz to be located in Milwaukee.
If the Visit Milwaukee group is hell bent on bronze figure in
downtown Milwaukee, how about commemorating a real person
who has made a difference?

- Jeff Winke



12/12

Perhaps my recent departure from Milwaukee has altered my
perspective on art in the city, but I must say that when I heard
about this proposal, I was giddy.  Granted, my appreciation is
ironic, and I don't really put this into an art file, but as an object
measuring up to the standards of bronze statuary memorials,
this is a good one.  I am very aware that public art in Milwaukee
is a point of contention, but the zealous hatred coming out of
the art community targeting this project only furthers frustration
and does not seem productive to me.  After all, whining isn't
very attractive, is it?

- Susan Crawford
.