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Is it art? A new platform for discussion
by Art Hughes, Minnesota Public Radio
July 2, 2004

Aldo Moroni surveys the pieces of 'Dancing Mill City" in his Northeast Minneapolis studio. He says an LRT official told him to dismantle the piece as he was installing it at the Cedar Riverside station. (MPR photo/Art Hughes)

A Minneapolis artist is going toe to toe with Hiawatha Light Rail officials who forced him to remove his sculpture designed for one of the new train stations. Sculptor Aldo Moroni says his painted steel abstract of the Minneapolis skyline is the result of more than two years of design and discussion. As Moroni was installing the piece a Hiawatha project official told him it wasn't up to snuff and he had to take it down.

Minneapolis, Minn. — When Nelson Rockefeller asked acclaimed muralist Diego Rivera to paint over the face of Lenin in a mural-in-progress at Rockefeller Center, the artist replied, "Rather than mutilate the conception, I should prefer the physical destruction of the conception in its entirety". Rockefeller paid Rivera and smashed the walls that held the mural.

	Dancing Mill City model

A disagreement between Minneapolis sculptor Aldo Moroni and managers with the Hiawatha Light Rail line is not nearly so dramatic.

But Moroni is holding firm after an agency official refused to let Moroni install his piece "Dancing Mill City" at the Cedar Riverside station. The rejection from Project Manager Ed Hunter came in a way Moroni said is not constructive.

"No, it wasn't presented like that," Moroni said. "It was like 'I could have painted this in my garage. Get off the railroad platform.'"

"If you're going to have a process where we all get to be included in the process in deciding what is public art and then at the last minute you have one individual come in and say I like duck art or I don't like duck art. Well that's wrong." - Artist Aldo Moroni

Moroni's wall reliefs and sculptures in cast bronze, terra cotta, and metal are installed in neighborhoods, plazas and dozens of corporate towers including the Federal Reserve Building and the McKnight Foundation. The train station installation is designed with bold primary colors and active, jutting shapes representing nearby architectural icons. He said it's supposed to be seen by commuters from the train window.

"These are simplified forms and they're fresh and sharp and colorful," Moroni said. "The idea is that it's an upbeat kind of thing. I mean these are people who are working hard, you know and they don't need to be downtrodden with heavy concepts. This is something that hopefully gives you a positive attitude about the day no matter how nasty your job is."

A letter from Hunter cites concerns about the work's finish, structural rigidity and the way it's attached.

Moroni won the $45,000 commission in an open competition. He insists details such as the thickness of the steel, color choices, and fasteners all got approval by the agency. And Moroni said after more than two decades of public art, his loose style materials is well documented.

	Picking up the pieces

"A lot of people like the fact that it's a little bit sloppy," Moroni said. "Sometimes people like the fact that there are thumb prints here and there. I think people even like the fact they can tell a human being made it. Maybe that's why they like it a lot is it doesn't look like a machined thing."

Moroni considers Hunter's comments insulting. But more than that, he said, the rejection negates the inclusive efforts that came before.

"If you're going to have a process where we all get to be included in the process in deciding what is public art and then at the last minute you have one individual come in and say I like duck art or I don't like duck art. Well that's wrong," he said. "You can't have it that way. It's not a dictatorship. Just because you're the boss of LRT, you still work for us."

The rail agency dispute's Moroni's reaction.

"We are optimistic it will be installed and look forward to working with Mr. Moroni to achieve that end," said Josh Collins, spokesman for the Hiawatha Project Office. He wouldn't comment on Hunter's impromptu critique of Moroni's work. He maintained the installation is still possible.

"I'd rather the specifics of the final product be discussed directly with the artist," Collins said. "But we don't believe there are insurmountable challenges between us and the artist to prevent this from being installed."

Moroni said he has no plans to change the piece. The agency still owes him $9,000 of the original commission. He's hired a lawyer.

"I want to see this piece happen," Moroni said. "I want to see them make it happen now. They've stopped me. I want the LRT railroad to put me back on track---put my artwork back on track."

Moroni plans to show the work in his Northeast Minneapolis studio July 9th. He said he'll let the public decide if it's worthy.

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