Friday, June 10, 2016

Let Me Take a Selfie

I'm a big fan of art in public places. As a parent, dragging all my kids into an art museum is a bit of a hassle. So, it's nice when we encounter art as we are out and about. Bonus: Docents don't yell at your kids if they touch the art that's out in public like they would in a museum. After all, art that is exposed to the outdoor elements tends to be rather sturdy. (Well, except in this poor guy's case.)


Rapid City, South Dakota - City of Presidents


When we were in Rapid City, South Dakota last summer, I noticed that the town square was both a wonderful community gathering spot and a showcase for their collection of bronze statues of U.S. Presidents. So, I  was excited to find out that the town where I attended high school started putting up statues around their own Town Square last week. I just had to stop and take a look.


Sugar Land, Texas - Guitar player statue 

Other than the huge statue of "Father of Texas" Stephen F. Austin in the middle of the fountain, the statues around the Sugar Land Town Square are meant to portray activities townspeople typically do when gathering around there. So, if I were to be immortalized as a Sugar Land statue, I would most likely be sipping Starbucks coffee or eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  I think the artists were aiming for something less commercialized... like guitar playing.


A second statue installed at the same time also aims to capture the community's zeitgeist.

#SelfieStatue #SugarLandTX


Yes, it's a statue of two girls taking a selfie in front of City Hall. When archeologists uncover this centuries from now, they will have hard evidence of one of the defining cultural phenomenons of the 2010's — the selfie. Some people hate it. Some people find it hilarious. (Note: The statues are donated by a resident and are not paid for with taxpayer money.)

What do I think? When in Rome Sugar Land...

Taking a selfie with the Selfie Statue

Do you take selfies? Or are they, as some critics claim, ridiculously narcissistic?





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23 comments:

  1. I can't believe there's a statue of girls taking selfies. And they have a great background and everything. Too funny.

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  2. We don't do selfies. There comes an age (sigh. . .) where the further away the camera, the better. And we've reached that age. Fun post, loved the name of the town, Sugar Land, is that because sugar beets or cane are grown there?

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  3. hahaha a selfie statue:) #weekend travel inspiration

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  4. Ha! That is amazing! I am not a huge fan of selfies but I do appreciate that they are a cultural phenomenon and archeologists will have a field day (pun intended) when they find this statue!

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  5. I'm not a fan but I'm noticing there's almost no record of me on our travels, so I'm trying to get a little more in to them...I just never think to take one!

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  6. I don't think selfies are narcissistic, but rather people's way of taking home a memory from a place. I don't like taking selfies however because somehow they come out distorted.

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  7. Take a selfie with a statute - what fun. Not so sure about any other kind of selfie.

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  8. I love the selfie statue in Sugarland but all the statues are fun.

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  9. What's even funnier is the line of people waiting to take a selfie with the statue.

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  10. Sugar Land started out as a sugar cane plantation and the headquarters of Imperial Sugar Company. The smell of sugar being refined is not as sweet as you may think.

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  11. I just had to stop when I realized that we were only 1 block away from the selfie statue.

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  12. For some reason, I really like that the artists chose to depict a Samsung phone, not an iPhone.

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  13. The main reason why I end up taking selfies is just to get myself into the photo when everyone else in my group has run away to the next stop. Plus, I don't like having to ask strangers to take my photo.

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  14. I really like that digital photos allow me to "waste" shots until I get a good one -- not like back in the film camera days when I had to be frugal.

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  15. I should have taken a photo of the man crossing a river on horseback. It was impressive!

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  16. This is awesome! I can't believe they created a selfie statue. Well, I guess the digital theme will keep prevailing for many years. Have you seen the emoticon's pillows, stickers and toys? I even saw an emoticon cake (it was pretty cool, actually).

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  17. I always look horrible in selfies that I take. I guess I should practice more. Interesting statues!

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  18. Since I have kids, I have definitely seen all that emoticon related stuff. My girl likes a vlogger called Nerdy Nummies who makes things like Emoji Cookies.

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  19. A selfie statue? That's hilarious! I just can't bring myself to take selfies. It just seems so...naff and touristy. Never say never though! #TheWeeklyPostcard

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  20. Funny! Let me take a selfie with the selfie statue! I loved your comment about being immortalized in statue form with a Starbucks coffee and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream! Just one question, which flavor are you? I love Americone Dream!

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  21. That statue made me smile, and your selfie was precious. I love the idea of being photographed in a new location (especially to share with my 90-year-old mother) but my photographer husband does the honors. We like the idea of taking a selfie of ourselves together while we travel, but we usually forget until we get home. :(

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  22. My husband does the honors for our selfies - his arms are longer. We take them when it's just the two of us traveling, unless we can capture a stranger's generosity to take the photo. He bought me a selfie stick for Christmas thinking that I really like selfies. But it's not that important to me - it's just if an opportunity arises. Love your selfie with the selfie!

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  23. I don't take much selfies as I don't know really who else would be interested to see all these landmarks with me covering the essential, ha-ha! I love the statues, though especially the statue of two girls taking a selfie as it is just so funny :)

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