The House Of Heat: The Art of Art

Monday, July 31, 2006

The Art of Art

Here in Richmond, VA there is a thoroughfare called Monument Avenue. It is a four lane road through a predominantly residential neighborhood. It features a very wide median and, you guessed it, monuments to local historic figures dotted along the two mile or so stretch. These include historic figures such as Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and tennis great Arthur Ashe. The Ashe statue, erected (hehe) in the mid 1990’s, stands more for his contributions to the civil rights movement and literacy rate than for his accomplishments with a racquet. While this tribute was being planned the local white supremacists, er “history buffs,” came out of the woodwork in strong opposition to the memorial, claiming Ashe’s accomplishments were not on par with the other figureheads who fought so that people like Ashe would not be allowed to breathe the sweet air of freedom. For those of you not up to speed, Arthur was a “brutha,” and he’s the only one with a Monument Avenue address.
The true beauty of the statue is the design. Ashe stands, with a tennis racquet held high in one hand and a book in the other, surrounded by children reaching for him. This was, at least, the intent. While driving down Monument at any time of day one can look at the statue and see Ashe beating a bunch of zombies into submission. The children have an eager look on their faces that represent a hunger and lust for only one thing: human brains.

Arthur Ashe, star of the new Resident Evil picture, defends himself against the youth of the dead.

Okay, maybe they’re not zombies. It could be a tribute to another Southern tradition: child abuse. They say that the victims just ask for it, hence the eager faces. Give ‘er a solid forehand, Artie! That bitch shouldn’t have spilled your beer in the first place!

Labels: anecdotal evidence, other sports