A colorful sculpture depicting a nude female dancer has been moved from its downtown location in Fruita, Colorado, after sparking heated community debate over its anatomical details. The sculpture, titled "Zafira," was created by artist Pavia Justinian and shows a figure balanced on one foot in a frozen dance pose as part of the city's HeART of Fruita sculpture exhibition.
The Fruita Arts and Culture Board made the decision to relocate Zafira on Friday to an undetermined location following days of public outcry from community members who objected to the nude representation. Critics particularly focused on the visibility of the female genitalia, arguing that the anatomical element would be at eye level for children viewing the public art.
Justinian expressed surprise at the intensity of the controversy surrounding her work. "I certainly wasn't expecting it to get as big as it has, the controversy," she said. "There's always a couple of people that may have a comment about things, and I've had comments here or there about my work. I mean, I think that's part of the role of public art is to start conversations, and so plenty of people are going to have something to say about it, but I didn't expect it to be a super controversial thing, and she is supposed to represent joy. That's really why I built her."
The debate largely unfolded on social media platforms and community message boards, with opponents and supporters presenting contrasting viewpoints. While critics raised concerns about the sculpture's appropriateness for public display, particularly regarding children's exposure to the anatomical details, supporters drew comparisons to universally acclaimed works like Michelangelo's David. Some community members sarcastically suggested replacing the first syllable of the city's name with "prude" in light of the heated discussion.
The volunteer arts board ultimately made the relocation decision after consulting with Justinian and considering various alternatives, including complete removal or modification of the sculpture. The matter escalated to the Fruita City Council level, where it drew public comments and prompted discussions about the statue selection process.
Interestingly, Zafira is actually the second statue Justinian has displayed as part of the sculpture series, and the first piece has not generated any controversy. During a city council meeting last week, Council Member James Williams highlighted this distinction. "I wonder why? It's a naked woman as well, but it's not grotesquely a naked woman. So, maybe there's an issue there that people can go, 'Hey, maybe not everybody's completely prude. There's a naked woman right there and nobody's having a problem with that,'" Williams observed.
The first sculpture, titled "Molly," depicts a woman constructed from exhaust pipes with a distinctive design approach. "I thought that the negative space was cool and the idea of playing with a split personality. So she has the two sides with the two different colors. We have cool colors on one side and warm colors on the other," Justinian explained. The binary design creates a gap space down the middle of the depicted woman's body, which may contribute to its broader acceptance.
This isn't the first time Zafira has faced opposition. Justinian revealed that the sculpture was previously removed early from a display in Parker, Colorado, for similar reasons, though she noted that controversy was less intense than the situation in Fruita. "She's actually been really embraced in most of the communities where I've put her in, and every once in a while, it doesn't go that way," Justinian said.
Despite the recurring controversies, Justinian indicated that Zafira's status as what she jokingly called a "statue scofflaw" won't influence her future artistic decisions. She emphasized that in most cases, the sculpture is received with the joy she intended to convey. "I think what happened in Parker was a lot less of a controversy than what's happened here, I guess, or at least, if it was, I wasn't really privy to it because I'm not from Parker," she explained. "I'm from the Grand Valley and I've been living in Fruita for 13 years, so I'm privy to a lot more of the shop talk about it." The artist's long-term residency in the community may have made her more aware of the local discussions and criticism surrounding her work in Fruita compared to other locations.
