Most people I know are devastated by the loss of Robin Williams.
Bostonians began dealing with their grief almost immediately by going to the bench in the Boston Public Garden where the famous "Goodwill Hunting" scene with him and Matt Damon was filmed. Flowers, graffiti (of the good kind), and tokens made it an impromptu shrine within hours, and the process continues.
Now there's a petition to install a statue of the actor on that very bench. It's collected over 15,000 signatures so far (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/robin-williams-statue-on-the-good-will-hunting).
Putting sculpture up in a public place in Boston is under the purview of the Arts Commission, and I'd love to see them consider this one. To date, none of the pieces in the garden have been the result of a public request. The closest I know of is the Duckling piece, but that was the result of a small group of influential citizens who came up with the idea at a party one night, according to sources.
I'd love to see a new piece go in to the Garden, but with very careful thought and criteria. I think it will touch citizens for decades (unlike some of the figures on sculpture row on the Boylston Street side of the Garden). This bears watching...
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| Photo From Carl Stevens @ http://elitedaily.com/entertainment/celebrity/robin-williams-bench-statue/711276/ |
