Posted on 09/16/2011 1:41:57 PM PDT by Baladas
A sculptor who shot a dog for an art film in the 1970s has won a $750,000 contract to create public art for the Central Subway.
Tom Otterness, a Brooklyn-based artist, has created public art all over Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States, with an emphasis on New York City.
But he garnered notoriety in 1977 when he adopted a black-and-white dog from an animal shelter and shot it to death with the camera rolling. The footage ended up in his avant-garde movie "Shot Dog Film."
Otterness has since apologized, telling the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 2008, "Thirty years ago when I was 25 years old, I made a film in which I shot a dog. It was an indefensible act that I am deeply sorry for. Many of us have experienced profound emotional turmoil and despair. Few have made the mistake I made. I hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me."
For the Central Subway, Otterness will receive $750,000 to create a series of humorous bronze sculptures of transit riders. The news was first reported by the San Francisco Examiner.
Kate Patterson, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Arts Commission, said the judging panel was not aware of the controversial film when it made its selection in July 2010.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I shot a dog in Reno, just to gain my rep.
I’ll “forgive” you after someone makes a film of them shooting you, you lowlife bass turd.
My little rescue Sheltie is sitting at my feet as I write this. She is NOT happy.
Some of the comments are not happy with this trigger-happy freak, either.
“Otterness has since apologized, telling the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 2008, “Thirty years ago when I was 25 years old, I made a film in which I shot a dog. It was an indefensible act that I am deeply sorry for. Many of us have experienced profound emotional turmoil and despair. Few have made the mistake I made. I hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me.”
Nearly just what Michael Vick said.
Made a film about shooting a dog you adopted from a shelter?Sorry. I'm not in the forgiveness business. Just thinking about it makes me want to kick your ass.
God forgives
I get even, so pray we never meet, Mr Art Fag
$750K that the city of S.F. can come up with for this idiot?? Why not hire a few more cops, or put it towards the billions that the state owes, or even better yet, give it back to the PEOPLE WHO PAYED IT!
As someone in the arts field, I’ll tell you how it works:
To get ahead as a youthful “artiste,” you do something outrageous like shoot a dog or dunk a crucifix in urine. Or, in my field, write a play that has enormous amounts of sex and violence. The critics - scared they might not understand your greatness - will run to praise you. Then the NY Times takes you up and runs with you.
For the next 30 years, you are set. You probably will even write a play or paint a picture that would make Grandma Moses blush at your sentimentality!
The important thing is that you strike hard and fast in the beginning and then coast for the rest of your life.
Tracy Letts, I’m not talking about you, am I? LOL!
$750,000 of taxpayer money. This guy must be gay and have relations with SF politicians.
Does anybody know if the $750,000 is local SF funds, state funds or federal taxpayer money. Most of these public expenditures end up being funded by federal tax dollars.
To establish your avant-garde credentials then? What did you do are going to to break in?
>> Made a film about shooting a dog you adopted from a shelter?Sorry. I’m not in the forgiveness business. Just thinking about it makes me want to kick your ass.
bttt
This creep is evil. Don’t let him get away with profiting from the pain of an innocent. Expose him wherever he goes, whatever he does.
Snuff films are now mainstream, eh?
So much for the elites sense of taste. Peta is not on this? Or are they too conflicted - their backers vs. animal welfare?
It stinks.
I conclude that there’s something really wrong with a person who would do something so incredibly self-centered and callous...and to film it? Unbelievably bad judgment. Would never, ever trust such a person.
Well I sure am glad that Nancy Pelosi got her way and this poor struggling artist does not have to actually work so he can buy health insurance. /s
My husband and I refuse to play the game. So, sometimes we get produced and sometimes we don’t - lots of times we don’t, lol. We just produced a show that starred one major actor who had the good taste and talent to appreciate the play we urged him to do. He did it and got slammed by the New York Times. What a business!
He was just filming a video resume for the local SWAT team.
I always despised that magazine cover. Actually, I always despised that magazine. Some good talent came out of it to go on to actually do some funny stuff but that ‘zine was a piece of unfunny trash.
Or give it to an animal shelter. One that doesn’t euthanize.
“As someone in the arts field, I’ll tell you how it works”
I have many friends in the art field and how it works is that young “artists” usually without talent get showings and publicity by performing sexual favors for the right people. Either that or they have backers who use influence or money to get them noticed. The art world is totally corrupt.
Shooting a dog probably pleased the sick a**holes who control arts funding but it was other connections that made him get the $750,000 in taxpayer funds.
LOL
“As someone in the arts field, I’ll tell you how it works”
I have many friends in the art field and how it works is that young “artists” usually without talent get showings and publicity by performing sexual favors for the right people. Either that or they have backers who use influence or money to get them noticed. The art world is totally corrupt.
Shooting a dog probably pleased the sick a**holes who control arts funding but it was other connections that made him get the $750,000 in taxpayer funds.
Tom Otterness, you are a scumbag!!!
This is exactly why I don’t like my tax money going to the private sector as pork. It always comes down to a politician giving other people’s money that they have no control over to a connected crony / businessman / artist in return for something and favors.
This artist is a connected crony. He was picked because he knew someone. This is how business gets done with government.
If he got $750K it should come from private donations not taxpayers.
It is an perverted outrage hearing that he shot this shelter dog to make a video.
What a sadistic bastard. Adopt a poor pound puppy and then shoot it. His commission should be yanked ASAP. I am sharing this on SPCA site right now.
If he'd held one's head under water until it drowned, slammed another repeatedly to the ground until it died, electrocuted a third . . . and run the personal canine body count into the teens or higher, he could play quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.
You do know that occasionally talented people work their way through the system, don't you? Or do you think it's all rigged? Because I'm at the theatre alot and there is certainly a vast array of talent out there.
Unfortunately, some of the creepy playwrights who come from the mid-West regionals clog up the system horribly. That's why I mentioned Tracy Letts. I doubt anybody wants his bod.
Obviously, my original post was waaaaay too facile and glib.
One thing that my brother has told me about his world is that arts funding is very corrupt. When government money goes 'to the arts' it means that next to nothing ever trickles down to the 'starving artists'. It gets eaten up by administrative layers in the various funding organizations and intermediaries. No surprise there.
P.S.: I can assure you that right now on my home page at Facebook there are artists and arts funders at the Kennedy Center (yes, I’ve actually been produced there) excoriating this. Not everyone in show business is a freak.
Can I shoot him and call it art? stupid son of a bitch should be rotting in jail.
Nothing odd about this guy.
I guess I was generalizing too much. There are talented people. I realized your post was meant to glib. Maybe the dog shooter reminded me too much of the pretentious fakes and sociopaths who populate the “art world”.
and PETA and ASPCA have what to say???
Everything I expected him to look like.
He is no artist. He is someone who should be in jail for animal cruelty.
Tom Otterness, I hate you and my dogs hate you!!
The problem, of course, is that the freaks get all the attention, while the worker bees in the arts put their heads down and work, work, work.
Right now I’m thinking of the brilliant American actors of “War Horse” who are making theatrical history right here at Lincoln Center. And this miserable son of a bitch is defining the arts crowd for us!
I feel very guilty that I snapped at you. Apologies.
He definitely looks like a right-wing Republican.
< / sarcasm>
one out of two...
Maybe he was preparing for a job in law enforcement.
“I feel very guilty that I snapped at you. Apologies.”
No problem, it’s fine. You seem like a nice person.
I’ll take that as a recommendation.
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