{"id":236088,"date":"2013-03-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-07T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/editors-analysis-when-is-a-kiss-just-a-kiss\/"},"modified":"2013-03-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-03-07T08:00:00","slug":"editors-analysis-when-is-a-kiss-just-a-kiss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/editors-analysis-when-is-a-kiss-just-a-kiss\/","title":{"rendered":"Editor’s Analysis: When is a kiss just a kiss?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Editor&#039;s<\/a>
The permanent “Unconditional Surrender” statue in San Diego a few days after it was dedicated. (Photo by Anulak Singphiphat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recently the controversial Unconditional Surrender statue, also known as \u201cThe Kiss,\u201d returned to the San Diego shoreline and was installed on a new, permanent platform located between The Fish Market and the starboard side of the USS Midway Museum.<\/p>\n

I say controversial because, well it is.<\/p>\n

The Unconditional Surrender statue, sculpted by Seward Johnson, is based upon the iconic images taken on V-J (Victory over Japan) day in Times Square on August 14, 1945. Johnson has sculpted dozens of life-sized and larger-than-life sized sculptures for public art installations around the world.<\/p>\n

The local debate started when a lighter weight, more portable version of the 25-foot statue \u2013 intended as a temporary exhibition but lasting for nearly five years \u2013 first graced our shores in 2007.\u00a0 That debate has never really ended.<\/p>\n

The purpose of the temporary exhibition was to garner public and private interest in the statue with the hopes of securing funds for a permanent sculpture. As history shows, that was easier said than done.<\/p>\n

The UT San Diego reported in March of 2012 that several commissioners sitting on the Port of San Diego\u2019s Public Art Commission actually resigned over the Port\u2019s decision to support funding of a permanent installation. They had all recommended that the Port get rid of the statue, because according to the story, \u201cmembers did not believe it met the aesthetic qualities called for in recently adopted criteria.\u201d Apparently the overall vote was 6-4 against acceptance, with two other commissioners who were absent later saying they would have voted with the majority, making it a whopping 8-4 against the sculpture.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut bowing to public support, the port commissioners decided that popularity should trump artistic merit,\u201d the story said.<\/p>\n

As it should; but thank you for your recommendations, Public Art Commission.<\/p>\n

After several other fundraising drives failed, and the exhibition extensions had reached their maximum, the staff of the USS Midway Museum asked the Port of San Diego if they could give the effort a try.<\/p>\n

Quicker than you could say Midway, they brought on seven private $100,000 donors in just a few weeks, then launched a public campaign, saying they\u2019d match the next $100,000 raised. Eight weeks later, they had their funding.<\/p>\n

Two weeks ago, on Saturday, Feb. 16, the permanent installation \u2013 paid for entirely by donations and not city funds \u00ad\u2013 was dedicated to much fanfare. But as you will see on this page, we are still hearing from naysayers just reporting on it. Many also posted their disdain on Facebook postings of the same story. \u201c[I read that] the sailor was drunk and forced her to kiss him. Not too romantic at all,\u201d one commentor said. \u201cI just think it\u2019s bad art. It\u2019s a bad copy \u2013 not an interpretation \u2013 of a great photo. \u2026 it would be better off at Disneyland,\u201d said another. \u201cIt\u2019s hideous and doesn\u2019t represent me or my family,\u201d said one angry poster who also said she planned to protest the dedication.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be the first to admit \u00adthat I love the statue. I also love the similar-sized \u201cSeven Year Itch\u201d Marilyn Monroe statue that is now gracing downtown Palm Springs, too, but I digress.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that I love camp, which The Kiss statue has been accused of being, rather than actual art; what I am is a fan of nostalgia in all its forms, especially when it comes to our veterans. My grandfather served in WWII, my newspaper editor father was a Korean War veteran, and I\u2019m a retired Navy veteran, myself. But my mother was a freelance artist and an arts and culture community servant, so I was around art my entire life.<\/p>\n

Art is about each individual who experiences it. It rarely has the same impact from one person to the next. As far as I am concerned, this \u201ckitchy\u201d but iconic statue will move many to tears, others to quitely reflect, and probably cause a few fist shakes, and that\u2019s okay. That is what art in all of its forms is supposed to do.<\/p>\n

I think this statue \u2026 in this place \u2026 is perfect.<\/p>\n

After all, the USS Midway was commissioned just weeks after the end of WWII and named for one of its mightiest contests, the Battle of Midway. The Port of San Diego has plans to further develop the area in the immediate vicinity of the statue, an area that already pays homage to a number of other military campaigns and events, including the WWII-centric Battle of Leytle Gulf, USS San Diego and even Bob Hope\u2019s USO tours over the years. I understand the new development will even be called the \u201cGreatest Generation Walk,\u201d so as far as I\u2019m concerned, a statue meant to commemorate V-J Day falls in lock-step with its environment.<\/p>\n

There is no doubt the statue will draw crowds of both locals and visitors to the area, and what\u2019s wrong with that? \u00a0Our city thrives on tourism. I don\u2019t hear anyone complaining about Kansas City BBQ and it\u2019s overdone Top Gun connection drawing wide appeal and attention. I\u2019ve taken plenty of people there.<\/p>\n

Scott McGaugh, marketing director of the USS Midway Museum may have said it best when I interviewed him for last month\u2019s story [\u201cKiss statue\u201d to return anew, Vol. 14, issue 2].<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think it\u2019s a great tribute to the greatest generation \u2013 the 16 million Americans who served and defended our country in WWII. \u2026 What the statue has come to represent, the sacrifice and peace \u2013 together with its location here in Navy Town USA we just think it\u2019s a natural fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly, you either love The Kiss statue or you hate it. Unfortunately for the haters, it is here to stay. I recommend they just unconditionally surrender.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently the controversial Unconditional Surrender statue, also known as \u201cThe Kiss,\u201d returned to the San Diego shoreline and was installed on a new, permanent platform located between The Fish Market and the starboard side of the USS Midway Museum. I say controversial because, well it is. The Unconditional Surrender statue, sculpted by Seward Johnson, is […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":236089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Editor's Analysis: When is a kiss just a kiss?","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11552,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-236088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}