Focus on this artwork and explore the Reception.
In 2006, Willamette Week included the sculpture in its annual "Best of Portland" list, under the category "Best Mayoral Monument". According to the paper:... Bane managed to capture much of the ex-mayor's character: Her eyes are friendly and her hair as wild as ever. But Katz's signature grin is a little stiff, a little too aggressive. Leaning forward, she looks as if she might take a bite out of the next passerby. Which by the way, seems appropriate when you look back on her days behind the mayoral desk. Maybe monochromatic bronze just isn't the right medium for a woman as colorful as ol' Vera. Where's the red blazer? Our suggestion: Get this lady some accessories! The right hat or scarf could make that brown pantsuit really work.
Daily Vanguard's Celina Monte called the sculpture "fabulously strange" and said it illustrated the "straightforward, tactile and symmetrical properties" of some of Bane's other work. The work has been included in at least one published walking tour of Portland, which noted its function as a meeting location for bicyclists and pedestrians. In 2013, RACC's public art collections manager said the work has received mostly "positive attention" and has been outfitted with hats, flowers and "yarn-bombed" sweaters. It has also attracted books, hats, lipstick, paint and even a "mohawk of cake frosting".
Daily Vanguard Willamette Week