PortlandTribune.com ?Public art is a little like making sausage,? he said. ?You just don?t want to know what goes into it.
? ??When you have committees making decisions about art, what you usually wind up with is a compromise,? he said. ?What?s actually acceptable tends to have narrow parameters.? This tends to leave a city with a preponderance of safe sculptures of, well, animals.
? ?Still, even animal-related pieces can draw criticism.
? ? ?Portland Dog Bowl,? in place since last February, is just two blocks north of the elephant. William Wegman?s whimsical sculpture was inspired by the Benson Bubbler drinking fountains, which captured the imagination of the artist during visits to Portland.
? ?The dog bowl has stared down its share of ridicule.
? ??I took a group of art students down to the park with an assignment to find the new public art,? said Pacific Northwest College of Art instructor Daniel Duford. ?And they couldn?t find it.?