Exploring Brighton's Sculpture: Decision Pending

Once upon a simpler time, , with its stone-still reflections, healthy plant life, and resident waterfowl, was downtown Brighton's most recognizable feature. That pastoral image was updated in 2006, when the city introduced Brighton Biennial, a public art initiative dedicated to improving Brighton's cultural appeal.

The facelift seems to have worked. In addition to still being loved by its longtime admirers, Brighton is now catching the interest of people who may not have given it a second glance a few years ago. In recent years, the city has seen an influx of younger residents. Many of those newcomers cite Brighton's commitment to community and culture as their motive for moving here.

The display does deserve a good look-see, regardless of your age. Walking maps of the exhibit, which includes 35 pieces, can be found at the office, Building and .

If you're not up for bundling up for art's sake, stayed tuned to Patch. We'll be documenting each piece as we complete the tour ourselves. We're starting today in the heart of downtown with the sculpture that has gotten the most attention.

Decision Pending, also known as "Ugly Naked Guy"

Many residents know Brighton's most well-known piece of public art as "Ugly Naked Guy," but the sculpture's intended name is Decision Pending. The full-scale, anatomically correct figure is somewhat stylized, but its nudity is blatant enough to cause controversy.

In July of this year, former Brighton City Council member Dennis Nauss suggested that the piece be moved. His reasoning: The sculpture stands too close to the Veterans Memorial at Mill Pond.

After months of debates, gestures, petitions and input from veterans, City Council voted 5-4 to keep the sculpture in place.

"It's the perfect piece to stand next to a war memorial," said Claudia Roblee, City Council member and chairwoman of the Arts and Culture Commission.

She cited Jay Holland, the sculpture's creator, who envisioned the work as representative of someone walking with their head held high after putting his shattered life back together. The figure's clenched fist and confident stance hint at resolve.

A controversial representation of the city's spirit

To most Brighton residents, Decision Pending represents the city's spirit. Community members seem to see the sculpture's nudity as a canvas for their own personalities. During the 2010 homecoming parade, it sported a Brighton Bulldogs T-shirt and an orange lei.

The sculpture has also taken on loftier personae. At the start of debate concerning the nature of its existence, Decision Pending wore a hand-lettered T-shirt that misquoted Shakespeare: "To Be or Not Be." Several weeks later, after the city decided to keep the sculpture in place, a city council member draped an American flag around its shoulders.

While Holland may not have envisioned a future fraught with controversy, he undoubtedly imagined the sculpture as part of a cityscape. For residents who work and play downtown, the sculpture seems to have become part of the backdrop.

While working 12-hour days every day for two years at his dad's coffee shop on Main Street, Adam Starnes has "heard people talk about the sculpture once. And that was at Christmas when (residents) dressed it up."

Support, opposition and disinterest

Similary, Katie Cross, who works across the street from Decision Pending, admitted  she "didn't pay much attention to it until people starting talking about it."

Other community members enthusiastically support the sculpture. "I'm for it! That fella can just stand right out there," said Marsha Gummerus, who lives and works in Brighton. "The ones that complain about it are people who refuse to change with the times."

As recent City Council meetings have revealed, not everyone feels kinship with Decision Pending. Tom Aubrey, who has lived in Brighton all his life, actually goes out of his way to avoid the sculpture. "I don't drive down Main," he admitted. "And when I walk with my wife, we avoid that end of Mill Pond."

That's exactly the kind of response that's likely to keep art alive.

But, for now, the issue is dead — at least officially.

As Roblee noted: "That's not to say that three or four years from now it's not going to come up again. But that's what art does. It creates conversation and it opens up possibilities and sometimes controversy."

For more information on the other works featured in the Brighton Biennial exhibit, check back every Sunday. Meet Rusty the Octopus on Jan. 2, 2011.