Back in the summer of 1999, Tony Leone had an
apartment in Chicago, just behind the Wrigley Building. It was the
same summer that Chicago was invaded by some 300 psychedelic cows
— bovine monuments, that is, each painted or decorated by an
artist, for a project called Cows on Parade. At summer’s end,
the cows were auctioned off and the proceeds went to various
charities.
Leone was udderly enchanted.
“I saw the action that it generated. It
was incredible,” he says. “It was an absolute fun
summer phenomenon. It made a lot of money, people had a lot of fun,
and tourists had an extra level of things to do.”
So when he read about a similar project
proposed for Springfield — this one called Abe on Parade,
featuring fiberglass statues of a smiling, waving Abraham Lincoln
— Leone didn’t hesitate.
“I was literally all over it,
immediately,” he says.
Leone’s Abe is now on display in the
Pasfield House, where he ads a festive touch to various
celebrations, wearing a Santa hat at Christmas, beads and a mask for Mardi Gras, and currently an
Illini baseball cap.
But “plastic Abe,” as Leone calls
him, was meant to be one of a hundred. Part of a parade. Not a
one-man band. The fact that no one else in Springfield bought into
the concept baffles Leone, and frustrates Matt Schultz, the artist
who came up with the plan.
“I just wanted to start a fun business
that would be beneficial to local charities,” Schultz says.
He modeled his scheme on similar public art
projects launched in other cities — Cows on Parade in Chicago
being one of his main inspirations. Under the corporate name
Opal-Oh! Productions, Schultz invited businesses to sponsor a
statue, which would be painted to the sponsor’s
specifications and erected at the sponsor’s choice of
locations. A map of Abes would be distributed to hotel rooms,
enticing tourists to visit the statues, thereby drawing customers
to the sponsoring businesses. The cost of sponsorship is about
$4,000. At the end of the summer, certain statues would be
auctioned off, and the money would go to designated charities.
At first, Schultz says, his idea got a warm
reception. Mayor Tim Davlin supported it — and “still
does!” says spokesperson Ernie Slottag. State officials were
equally enthusiastic; one even told him she wished she had thought
of the idea herself, Schultz says. A few downtown businesses
that Schultz won’t name were all set to sign the contract for the
statues.
The first discouraging sign came when Schultz
met with officials at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and
Museum. Susan Mogerman, chief operating officer of the
ALPLM’s foundation, expressed some “concerns”
about the faux Abes.
“We just said that we would prefer that
they not be in front of the museum or library. We have plenty going
on here without the statues,” Mogerman says. Specifically,
the foundation wants to avoid having the library or museum seen as
the backdrop in any jaunty Abe snapshots during the dedication.
Later — next summer, for example — would be fine.
“We want the photography to show the
library and the museum without temporary embellishment,” she
says. “They don’t even have to be far away. Just not in
front. We want to allow the architecture to speak for
itself.”
In a phone interview, Mogerman frets about
sounding negative as she defends her position. “I really have
no comment about it,” she says. But in talking about similar
public art projects, she can’t resist pointing out the
differences between livestock and beloved presidents.
“Lots of towns have done these projects
and been successful. But there are difficulties with Lincoln that aren’t in other projects. Most
are inanimate objects — an ear of corn or a chair or a
cow,” she says. “But people are very sensitive about
Lincoln. And people who are serious about Lincoln are serious about not
playing with his image.”
Yes, she admits, the museum’s Web site
features a picture of Lincoln operating a movie camera —
obviously not a real photograph.
“It isn’t standing in front of
the library and museum on the day of the dedication,”
Mogerman says.
Then she returns to her no-comment position:
“I don’t want to say any more about it because
it’s going to wind up being negative, and I don’t want
to be negative.”
Schultz, however, says business owners who
initially seemed interested withdrew, telling him they
couldn’t afford to offend ALPLM “powers that be.”
Mogerman says her office isn’t to blame. “I think
that’s too bad. It’s nothing we’ve said to
anyone. We’ve been totally silent on the subject,” she
says.
So far, Leone is the sole winner. When told
his Abe is the only one “on parade,” he’s
thrilled. “That makes it even more valuable!” he says.
He sees the power of the art project every time he hosts a
reception or party at Pasfield House. “People literally line
up to have their photograph taken with him,” he says.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2005.
