Here's the latest on the Lewis Greenberg issue regarding "Art" vs "Trash" story, as I've read it. Judge Kathryn Koch ruled that Greenberg's Holocaust Memorial, located in Ballwin, MO, violates two Ballwin ordinances. The first prohibits littering and the other prohibits storing materials that constitute a health menace. Judge Koch fined Greenberg $1,000. and that fine was to be paid by 1/13/08.

As of last week when I drove by the property, the yard was still filled with the materials. Still with no end in sight, as Greenberg continues his fight as he feels his constitutional rights, including freedom of speech & religion, are being impinged upon.

He is planning to appeal the verdict to the Missouri Circuit Court of Appeals before he can be charged again.

The neighbors feel that property values are being affected by in a downward fashion by the "trash" on the property. Typically, the home values run $250K to $300K in the Whispering Oakwood subdivision.  To be continued....

Seems like this saga will never end! West Newsmagazine reports that now, self-acclaimed artist, Lewis Greenberg is suing the city of Ballwin, MO in U.S. District Court. Greenbergs suit states his constitutional rights, freedom of speech and of religion are being compromised.

Most of the yard "art" represents (per Greenberg) the holocaust.

The yard "art" is amazing to see in a subdivision located in such an up-scale neighborhood. I'd say too, that it'd be amazing to see anywhere! In addition, I'd say a goodly part of the problem is that at night, bright lights illuminate the entire site and of course, spills over into nearby yards. I'm not talking dusk to dawn lights either. It would easily, to my mind, be considered a nuisance to the neighbors and is shocking to the folks driving by. And yes, folks are now making it a "drive-by" frequently to check it out. I think you might expect to see something like this set up in an unincorporated area that has limited or no rules/regulations, but not in a subdivision of high quality, well built homes like Whispering Oakwood in West County. I'd asked him if he'd considered displaying in one of the local parks (like Laumeier Sculpture Park) to see if they'd consider his art or to exhibit his "art" in a more traditional setting, but it was out of the question! In my opinion, he likes the attention and being in the lime-light. He prefers not to exhibit in a traditional manner such as a gallery, but to be a thorn in the side of his neighbors. Stir things up a bit. In my view, he's taking his "right" to the extreme and stepping on others "right" to have some "peace".

The city of Ballwin denies all the claims in the lawsuit and is waiting now until the court has the opportunity to view the property.This has been and seems like it will continue to be an on-going saga. OK, so where does Greebergs right trump the neighbors right to have a peaceful life in a quiet subdivision? What do YOU think? Sign up for the RSS to be updated when more news is available. Stay tuned!

Well, here we go again! Our community paper WEST Newsmagazine had an article about Lewis Greenberg and his "Yard Art". Residents in the subdivision where Mr. Greenberg lives has filed complaints regarding "littering". The fuss is all about the quantity of twisted metal, decorated tree branches, rocks and what-nots strewn about the front/back/side yards/trees/porch. When I last spoke to him, he'd said he had lots more inside too. 

Only 9% of the residents didn't sign the petition demanding the artist remove the debris/art. Part of the problem is simply this; when a neighbor want to sell a home, most buyers do not look favorably on this property, which to my mind, looks cluttered. In addition, I would not like having lights turned on the property from dusk to dawn, lighting up the street!  I have to say this though, he does keep the grass cut. It makes you want to say...please, just try to be a good neighbor. This would not have been a problem, in my opinion, if the subdivision indentures had covered it in the first place.

This of course is not a finished story and I'll update you if any thing changes. But for now, Mr. Greenberg has been cited for littering.

You never know when you'll accidently run into some adventure in your daily excursion in your own neighborhood. A friend and I were out enjoying the day of window shopping on a lovely sunny, breezy day. Just enjoying the moments, as they came and on our whim. We decided to drive by one of the local areas, where an artist lives in Ballwin. He's decorated his yard (front, side & back) with an abundance of either trash or treasure, depending on whom you listen too. Personally, I believe you need to have an open mind to the world of "ART" and what it stands for and of course, just what it means to each individual viewing the work and the artist, himself.

So, off we went, my friend driving and myself in the passenger side of the car, camera at the ready!  I might also explain we'd been by before, on the recommendation of another Ballwin citizen, to just drive by ....and take a look! When we were there last, it was dusk and my photo's didn't turn out so hot. No matter how I tried to edit them, they were too dark. 

Prior to this visit, my friend had brought her grandson (age 9) to see the display. When asked what he thought about it, he said, " I'd like to play here!".

This display has caused some of the neighbors to object, not so much directly to the artist, but to the folks at city hall. Back to my story. As we pull around the curve, there's the house! My friend spots the owner, coming out around the side. Of course, he sees us and comes to the front door. She's somewhat apprehensive, not knowing how or what kind of reception we'll get. She says, "Tell him we're friendly!, Tell him we're friendly!". I'm thinking (sounds like we're dogs). Plus, she's wanting me to yell this out of the car...and he's a good 50 feet away. We're aware of the controversy his art display has caused and not sure if he's receptive to folks taking photos or maybe he's thinking we're going to harass him. 

Here he comes toward us, with his bike in hand, wearing  biker attire.  We explained what we were doing and he kindly volunteered that we were welcome to come into the yard and take more photos. He was very open about telling us about the neighbors and giving his opinion. He gave his name to us (Lewis Greenberg)and proceeded to tell us about the work, which represents the Holocaust.  He was also interested in our opinion and we provided that too. One of the neighbors is trying to sell his home and of course, believes that because of the artist display of his work in the yard, the home is not selling. That of course, is debatable, in this soft market and also the condition of the neighbors home. The yard is kept cut and flowers and shrubs are trimmed.  We've made plans to come back again and take a tour of the objects, both outside and in.  We ran out of time to take him up on the offer to take more photos but will do it soon! He did say that the property is lighted with dusk to dawn lights and I believe he feels that some would destroy his work, if given the opportunity. He knows his rights and plans on adding to the display, as it's a "work in progress".

It turns out I'd seen his car on the road too. He drives a mid-size car that is totally covered (not the windows, of course!) with decals! He's a free-thinker and may be eccentric (who isn't?) but enjoys life and is certainly able to carry on a conversation! We're looking forward to our next visit. I hope you'll come back to visit my blog too!