From our BEST Arts of the decade feature:
Typically, there’s a discussion that goes alongside a piece of artwork, regardless of the form it takes. We’ve been doing this as humans for a very, very long time. The fact that we have a piece of art that looks like this in the center of Champaign, located right next to Esquire Lounge, has not only garnered attention because of the location itself, but the fact that there’s a Humpty Dumpty-looking piece named Mr. Eggwards that is perched for all to see.
This was my thought process when I saw this initially:
Wait, a what? Humpty Dumpty? His name is “Mr. Eggwards”? I am not sure what to think here. This is throwing me for a loop. Do I love it? Hate it? Both? I’m going to need to take some time to think about this.
As soon as this went up, it immediately got people talking (yes, not just the voices in my head). Some absolutely love it. Some despise it. But that’s how it goes, you know? We’ve recognized it both as BEST and WORST in the same year. Mr. Eggwards had to get some work done because it had been vandalized at one point. But the point of highlighting it here is to showcase that people actually do care about our public art and what it means as a representation of our community.
That’s a good thing — getting a discussion started about a piece of art in this day and age. Mr. Eggwards has been the best source of public discourse, because regardless of what you think about it, at least you’re thinking about it. (Patrick Singer)
Photo by Seth Fein
