July 12, 2010
What Will Become of Vermontasaurus?
Brian Boland with his Vermontosaurus. Photo credit: Alden Pellett/Associated Press
There can be a fine line between “art” and “eyesore”—especially when it comes to roadside dinosaurs. Which side the 122-foot-long “Vermontasaurus” falls on is a matter of taste.
As reported by the Associated Press, last month the 61-year-old Vermont resident Brian Boland decided to create a dinosaur out of the scrap wood around the margins of the small Post Mills Airfield (which he owns) in Thetford, Vermont. Boland and volunteers nailed whatever bits and pieces they could find together to create the towering sculpture, and, despite its ramshackle appearance, I quite like it. It won’t win any prizes for scientific accuracy, but its spiky, monstrous appearance evokes the way I thought of dinosaurs as a child.
Town officials are not as pleased with Boland’s work. To them, the wooden dinosaur is a structure—not a sculpture—and hence Boland should have applied for a $272 building permit before bringing Vermontasaurus to life. Furthermore, the Vermont Division of Fire Safety has raised concerns about whether the dinosaur might come tumbling down on tourists, and Boland has been cited for other violations related to development of his land. What started as a fun construction project has turned into a bureaucratic morass, and Vermontasaurus may not be able to escape the death trap of local rules and regulations. Its fate has not yet been decided, but Bolan says he has been told he might have to tear it down.
What do you think? Is Vermontasaurus an eyesore that should be taken down, or is it a neat piece of art which should be allowed to stand? Have your say below.
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Judging by the photo, it looks to me like an interesting piece of outsider art, like Watts Towers or Carhenge. However, that doesn’t mean that Boland isn’t a [redacted] [redacted]head whose neighbors all hate him.
It does look like something that will require lots of upkeep if it’s not to fall apart in a couple of decades, so it’s important to think now about curatorship.
It might be an interesting experiment to see if one of those wealthy institutions or individuals that collect outsider art would be willing to purchase the sculpture and lease the land it’s on, and then negotiate an appropriate settlement with the local government as the new owner. And Boland would get the income from the sale and the lease. This could work, sssuming he isn’t a [redacted] [redacted]head.
I, as well as my Wife and 4 children (11,11,11, and 4)worked on the construction of the Vermontasaurus. It is a neat piece of art that the kids, as well as myself, took great pride in being part of its construction, as well as shareing our expierence with others. People need to get a life if this Artful structure bothers them and refocus on what is really important in life to be concerned with….The Vermontasaurus is not an eyesore and should be supported. I go out of my way to view it everyday, with a sense of pride knowing that my FAMILY had a great time building it, as a Family. I have talked to many who have come to visit it and have yet to find these naysayers…Enjoy it, That is why we helped build it….We enjoy it, and we are locals….Ever hear of Post Mills, Vt…We are the COMMUNITY with the VERMONTASAURUS.
The Vermontasaurus exhibits remarkable artistic skill despite the unpretentious way that it came into being. In this it contrasts hugely with the “Voice of Fire” that was alas, bought some years ago by the National Gallery of Canada at tremendous expense accompanied by great pretentiousness.
In light of what I stated above, I believe that the work should be preserved as an example of spontaneous folk creativity that excels rather like a genuine folk song does as compared to thousands of contemporary imitations.
I just heard about this on my local radio program here in Canada, and I have to say that I think it’s amazing! It’s too bad that the authorities have a problem with this piece- I feel they should take heart to the fact that this man built this with his late son in mind (who had apparently drawn the original inspiration), and others who have “passed before their time”. It’s a memorable piece made by a man and a community that has a lot of heart- something you don’t see or hear of much these days. I only with I could participate in something like this!
While I can understand the concern about possible harm it may cause if a piece of wood were to fall off, all I can say is: there are solutions to that- create a perimeter around the sculpture perhaps?
Kudos to all those who put their love and energy into making this fine piece of work, and I hope the authorities change their mind- or that another amazing piece can be created out of this unfortunate situation!!
Check out millbrook art gallery in concord NH.sculptor Bob Shanahan has created something similar. Don’t allow local authorities to destroy art.
I’ve just put up a site with some more pictures of the Vermontasaurus.
http://vhist.com/explore/vermontasaurus/
detailed photos and some other things about Brian’s domain
this is fun!