In this artwork, how is the History discussed?
Kvinneakt was designed and created by Norman J. Taylor, a Seattle-based artist and professor of sculpture at the University of Washington, between 1973 and 1975. The piece is an abstract bronze sculpture depicting a full-length nude woman measuring 71" x 38" x 25". Kvinneakt was one of 11 sculptures selected for the Portland Transit Mall from more than 500 entries entered in a juried competition. The works were purchased through a budget of $250,000; Kvinneakt was commissioned at a cost of $6,500. Funding sources for the project included Tri-Met (20 percent) and the United States Department of Transportation (80 percent). Of the 11 sculptures, only Kvinneakt and Kathleen McCullough's (née Conchuratt) Cat in Repose were considered "figurative". Claiming his intention was not to be vulgar, Taylor said: "It's about grace and motion and a certain beauty and pride in the human figure. That may be sensual, but that's far different from sex." According to the Regional Arts & Culture Council, Taylor intended the piece to be "confrontational"; he admitted, "the worst reaction you could give my work is no reaction."Kvinneakt was installed on the newly built Transit Mall in 1977.  The bronze sculpture was sited on SW Fifth Avenue near Washington Street (between Washington and Stark). In 1978, Kvinneakt appeared on the "Expose Yourself to Art" poster, which featured future Portland Mayor Bud Clark flashing the nude woman.In 1981, about 30 minutes before the start of April Fools' Day, three men attempted to steal the 250-pound (110 kg) statue, breaking it free from its pedestal and dragging it towards a waiting car before being spotted by a city worker and fleeing the scene.  Damage from the incident included a broken right index finger and other cracks. Repairs cost $3,000 and were undertaken by Norman Taylor, who also strengthened the sculpture's body and its connections to its base. Kvinneakt was reinstalled at Fifth Avenue and Washington six months later, in October 1981.
The sculpture has served as a stop on walking tours of the city, including the Metropolitan Arts Commission's 1987 Portland Public Art walking tour and the 2003 Public Art Conference's walking tour of downtown. On November 7, 2006, Kvinneakt was temporarily removed for renovation of the Transit Mall and installation of the MAX Light Rail along the mall. Its removal was supervised by staff of the Regional Arts & Culture Council. During this time Kvinneakt and other removed works were cleaned and refurbished. In September 2009, the statue was re-sited on SW Sixth Avenue between Alder and Morrison. Representatives from the Regional Arts & Culture Council and the TriMet Public Art Program conducted the unveiling. According to the former organization's public art manager, the sculpture will likely remain in its current location for as long as 30 years.There have been other instances when Kvinneakt was used to make a statement or act as a prop. On April Fools' Day, 1982, the Portland Rainmakers gathered around the sculpture, issued a proclamation condemning nudity, "even in statues, for viewing by the general public", and left the statue covered with a "size 42-plus", lacy bra. In 1984 the statue was vandalized with the painted text "Jesus Saves".  In January 1985, on the day Bud Clark took the oath of office as Mayor of Portland, Kvinneakt was draped anonymously with a sash reading "Congratulations". In 2007 Tom Burkleaux, founder of New Deal Vodka, posted an image of the sculpture on the company's website with the woman's nipples airbrushed out, protesting censorship after the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau deemed the website "offensive". In 2012, Century of Action, a project of the Oregon Women's History Consortium, used the sculpture to promote women's suffrage by placing a "Votes for Women" sash across her chest as part of the organization's "Sash Project".
Regional Arts & Culture Council Norman J. Taylor Tri-Met MAX Light Rail sash Sash flashing Stark 1973 bronze sculpture nude Expose Yourself to Art Portland Mayor Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Bud Clark Cat in Repose left women's suffrage downtown TriMet University of Washington 1975 United States Department of Transportation Transit Mall public art April Fools' Day abstract Portland Transit Mall Mayor of Portland