Even with the new Lucille Ball statue being added to the park, village officials say that the Poulin’s statue will also remain in the park, since it has become an attraction for the village since it’s story went viral in 2015.
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A new statue of Lucille Ball has been unveiled in the late actress’ hometown to replace one that was dubbed “Scary Lucy”. The crowd cheered as Palmer and Schrecengost unveiled the likeness, which shows Ball in a polka-dot dress. Palmer worked first with clay, then wax, then eventually the bronze for her final product.
So far, it seems Celoron residents are happy, too. I didn’t mind getting messed up. “I am very pleased tonight”.
Judging by the early response to the new Lucille Ball statue, Palmer shouldn’t have to worry about a harsh reception. She watched episodes of “I Love Lucy” and looked at old glamour photographs of Ball to get a better understanding of her, paying attention to “every little nuance” of her movements and her personality.
Despite protests, the ugly statue did have its own peculiar following..
Sculptor Carolyn Palmer hopes her tribute will please fans who demanded another artist’s unflattering version be banished, through a Facebook campaign with the name We Love Lucy! You can get a peek at the more flattering Lucille Ball statue, which was created by sculptor Carolyn Palmer, below.
Lucille Ball fans can rest easy. Her last sculpture was of Pope Francis and she enjoyed going from a “rather serious” sculpture to a playful one.
Harder to capture, Palmer said, was Ball’s penchant for wearing “sort of painted-on makeup”, which doesn’t always translate in bronze. “And then he stated that if we didn’t have the funds and we didn’t like the statue, we should take it down and put it in storage”. His offer to redo the piece for free was declined.
“From the day of its installation, I have shared my disappointment in the final outcome and have always believed it to be by far my most unsettling sculpture, not befitting of Lucy’s beauty or my ability as a sculptor”. The original artist did accept his failure to please Lucy fans and told the press that he had received bad emails and even death threats about his work. “We’ve had thousands of people here over the past year from all over”, Schrecengost told CNN affiliate WIVB.
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The new statue was unveiled on what would have been Ball’s 95th birthday.
