Declaration

Bemidji is a sleepy college town in northern Minnesota. The “First city on the Mississippi”, the “Curling Capitol of the States” and home to those giant statues of Paul Bunyan & Babe The Blue Ox that grace so many a postcard sent off by  Northwoods vacationers to their loved ones back home. The city of Bemidji also has a lot of beaver.

It all started earlier this year when the city called for new works to be displayed in The Bemidji Sculpture Walk. They called it: the Beaver Project and it was hot. Local artisans submitted  pictures of their beavers for review and ten were asked  to paint their beavers on  fiberglass casts. The city of Bemidji then unleashed the 4’ tall sculptures upon the downtown area as part of a public art campaign. Suddenly,  Bemidji had the beaver fever. There was a big brown beaver, a blushing red beaver, even a fishy beaver. But one particular beaver aroused more than a few citizens when they saw it.

You see, as some folks strolled downtown Bemidji over the July 4th weekend, they stumbled upon artiste Deborah A. Davis’ beaver. Some were startled. Some were shocked. Some were steamed. Why? Because they didn’t just see a beaver, they saw a beaver with a vagina; and they didn’t like it. "It’s pornography!" they cried and they called the city of Bemidji to complain about Ms’s Davis’ porn. I mean beaver. I mean vagina. I mean beaver vagina. It got to the point that City Manager, John Chattin, didn’t know what to do… so he yanked it. The beaver, I mean. They pulled Ms. Davis’ beaver off the street to give the city of Bemidji some time to respond to the complaints.

“Gaea”, as Ms. Davis’ calls her beaver, was relocated from the downtown sidewalk to the front lawn of Bemidji Sculpture Walk Committee member, Al Belleveau, while the City Council prepped for an emergency town meeting on Tuesday. Ms. Davis herself couldn’t comprehend the controversy. She was all:  "My intent was to paint Mother Nature, Mother Earth…I didn't understand that some people saw genitalia...I understand people see different things in art, and they need to be free to do that…My intent was to paint a praying woman."

A praying woman, huh? I can’t wait for you to see Deborah's beaver! So let me finish this up. Long story short: The Council ultimately voted, unanimously, to bring back the beaver after even more complaints came in calling foul on the city’s censorship of art and expression. Several artists even covered their own beavers in a sign of solidarity. A few days later, Gaea was positioned back on her street corner and Ms. Davis was allowed to show her beaver to the public. Good for Ms. Davis and her “celebration of womanhood” and free speech and all that. Now check out her beaver...

In case you can’t figure out which beaver I’m talking about, it’s the 3rd beaver from the left;  the one with the three foot tall vagina painted on it. But, I don't know, maybe you only see Mother Earth praying with roses falling from her hands? That would be weird though. View Ms. Davis’ beaver, up close, and tell me what you think. A praying woman that looks like a vagina or a beaver with a vagina that could maybe, possibly, if you're really farsighted, be mistaken for a praying woman?

If you're in Bemidji this summer and want some beaver shots of your own, Gaea is located on 4th St. NW at Beltrami Ave. NW.