TULSA, Okla. — The artist behind the controversial statue planned for Crybaby Hill is talking for the first time only to 2 News.
After weeks of covering this story, 2 News received many questions from Tulsans, which they took to artist Ken Kelleher.
"Well, I think obviously for me and some of the people there got off on the wrong foot on how things were introduced, but regardless, I like to make art that inspires people," said Kelleher.
There were weeks of controversy after Kelleher posted his original designs for the Crybaby Hill statue. Hundreds of Tulsans chimed in, sharing their thoughts on the art.
But many wondered who was behind the infamous rendering.
Let's introduce New Hampshire resident Ken Kelleher.
2 News asked how he heard about the Request for Proposal the City of Tulsa sent out. He said he's always been a fan of Route 66, so when the opportunity came to create a statue on the Mother Road, he jumped at it.
He said he also loved reading about Crybaby Hill.
"Oh my gosh! I loved it," he laughed. "I just thought it was incredibly funny and I like injecting humor into my work so I was just immediately attracted and I just wanted to do it will all my heart.
However, his vision for the Tulsa landmark didn't go over well with many people in the city.
He said the negative feedback was hard to hear, especially because of what was going on in his personal life.
"It did just come on the heels of my wife just passing away at the end of July after just finishing cancer treatment, so the first email that came through, I wasn't really prepared for it," said Kelleher.
He said he tried to joke around in the humorous statue's spirit but was not met with kindness.
After weeks of talking to local artists, neighbors, and community members, they said their feedback wasn't personal.
They were judging the art, not the artist.
This was something that came up numerous times during these conversations.
Kelleher said he listened to Tulsan's feedback from a recent community meeting. That spurred him to tweak his original design, which now incorporates a bike.
Also in the design — the Soundpony logo. Most cyclists in Tulsa will know this bar.
The bar's owner gave Cry Baby Bill its name. He was also one of the original members who founded the annual party.
While he thinks the logo is cool on the statue it didn't sit well with owner Josh Gifford.
"I don't know the fact that the artist is using my logo to get support at this point. That's a little bit upsetting to me as well, and I did reach out to the city to reach out to the artist to ask them to pull these social media post down," said Gifford.
The issue stems from the use of the logo. Gifford said the logo was put on the rendering for a meeting the Crybaby Hill founders had with the city.
That's when he said the city told him they would not be putting the logo on the finalized statue as it's a bar.
2 News asked Kelleher why he used that logo. He said it wasn't his idea.
"Well, basically, I was given that logo to consider incorporating that into the piece," said Kelleher.
He said he thought it was cool, so he used it. He didn't know it was going to be an issue since he said the city gave it to him.
Gifford said he's not opposed to his logo being on the statue but is opposed to it being in the rendering if it's not actually going on the final piece.
"Yeah, they brought us and showed us this rendition probably in the hopes of us liking it because it does have our logo. And yes, absolutely, they want to put a 40-foot statue with my logo on it, please I would love that more than anything because we’re not just a bar, we are a community," he said.
2 News reached out to the city. It sent the following statement:
As the artwork for the Route 66 Roadside Attraction is finalized, the City is continuing to facilitate conversations between the artist and stakeholders to ensure the end product is reflective of Route 66, Cry Baby Hill, and Tulsa. As these conversations have evolved, the artist has released additional concepts on his own that represent his willingness to shape the final product in response to suggestions and community ideas. The City will continue to engage with the artist to develop the final outcome in collaboration with stakeholders.
2 News will continue to follow this story.
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