Christmastime means snow, gifts and artist Keith McGuckin offending people
Cindy Leise | The Chronicle-Telegram
OBERLIN — Conceptual artist Keith McGuckin kills off Santa Claus in his latest holiday display at the Oberlin Public Library.
McGuckin, of Wellington, is known for his controversial holiday displays, which have included a drug-smuggling elf, a crystal meth Christmas and Nazi gingerbread men.
Once again, he’s pushing the envelope.
In his latest display called “Tanenbaum” — a misspelling of “tannenbaum,” the German word for Christmas tree — Santa has no legs after a boozed-up accident involving some power lines.
If that’s not bad enough, a crazed tree is seen pushing Santa’s wheelchair down a flight of stairs.
McGuckin said he expects to touch a few nerves.
“I think a lot of people will be upset about a legless Santa,” he said.
Although you don’t see St. Nick’s sad end, McGuckin’s narrative that accompanies the display tells the rest of the story.
When authorities examine the heap of twisted chrome and crimson, they rule Santa’s death an accident.
The tree goes off to a strip club to live it up on money taken from Santa’s Salvation Army kettle.
Sheila Ross of Oberlin was among library patrons Tuesday who didn’t appreciate the humor.
“To me, it’s terrible,” Ross said. “I wouldn’t bring my grandson to see this — it’s sick.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” McGuckin said. “It’s a cartoon.”
But herbalist Kim Rawlings, also of Oberlin, was delighted.
“I love it — it’s very Christmas-y and hysterical,” she said. “It’s kind of a cruel humor.”
McGuckin’s holiday displays in Oberlin and Wellington have been controversial for years.
Last year, his display called “Tis the Season for Murder” was based on 1950s film noir and portrayed a heavily lipsticked snowwoman with a penchant for turning her three snowman husbands into snow cones.
The biggest howls of protest probably occurred in 2006 when an Oberlin hardware store featured his display of gingerbread men in full Nazi uniforms, complete with swastikas, gathered around a fire pit.
After protests, the display called “The Secret Life of Gingerbread Men” was removed from the Oberlin storefront and placed in a vacant store in Wellington. News reports about the gingerbread Nazis made it onto media outlets including Fox News and “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central.
It also sparked discussion. In Oberlin, artists, professors and a writer for ArtNews debated the topic “Edgy Art: Where Does it Cross the Line?” after the display.
McGuckin said his art does get him in trouble sometimes.
A young woman working at an ice cream stand sought an anti-stalking order earlier this year after he visited the stand and gave her a few cards he had drawn.
She withdrew the request at a hearing before a magistrate in September, and McGuckin said he has since been doing his best to avoid her.
McGuckin said he didn’t mean any harm, saying, “I thought she was a nice girl and that we would be buddies.”
Darren McDonough, director of the Oberlin library, said the Santa display isn’t his favorite McGuckin work, but he doesn’t plan on taking it down.
“Remember the old library saying — ‘If we don’t have something to offend you, we’re not doing our job,’ ” McDonough said with a laugh.
McGuckin, of Wellington, said he just hopes his 87-year-old mother doesn’t notice her wheelchair is missing until after the holidays.
“I’m really in love with Christmastime,” he said. “My favorite day of the year is when the Christmas tree goes up.”
He also insists he isn’t a white supremacist, even though he seems to have a fascination with them.
His latest video on YouTube features “Christmas with The Snow Klansmen 4” filmed at “Whitey’s Christmas Tree Emporium.”
Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Cindy Leise | The Chronicle-Telegram December 3rd, 2008 in Local and State. Popularity: 2% |
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Comments
Comment from
mae
December 3, 2008, 12:36 pm
That’s great that a 53 year-old man thinks he is going to be “buddies” with a “young girl” at an ice cream stand. He has the right to express his art but it seems as though he is just creepy. Does he have a day job other than hanging around young girls ?
Comment from
Jack Miller
December 3, 2008, 2:07 pm
This guy, the library and some of the commenter’s to his ‘art’ are weird on many levels. Let’s have some fun here. Keith McGuckin has the title of conceptual artist. What this means is you have no more talent for true art than a child would. I could glue spent batteries together to make towers of various heights, then attach them on a sheet of plywood with painted streets and sidewalks. Call it Electric City and it would be the correct definition conceptual/modern art. If I had any sort of name behind me it would sell for quite a bit.
Now compare the above with the paintings and sculptures of the masters from the past. The ones that draw your eye and soul into them as you admire the great talent it took to create them. There are Artist today who are awesome. One example; there’s a a lady in England who makes life size horses from driftwood that are incredibly realistic. They’re beautiful.
Herbalist (definition Uber Liberal) Kim Rawlings, also of Oberlin, was delighted. “I love it — it’s very Christmas-y and hysterical,” she said. “It’s kind of a cruel humor.” Can somebody tell me when acts of violence like Santa being pushed down the stairs became very Christmas-y? We already have the crucifixion of Christ. Do we need more? Can somebody also tell me when Christmas became connected with ‘cruel humor? Can somebody tell how the majority became so sick, so quickly?
The we have Darren McDon’tknow (McDonough) who said something I’m sure he believes had the ring of brilliance to it. “Remember the old library saying — ‘If we don’t have something to offend you, we’re not doing our job,’ ” McDonough said with a laugh. All through my childhood, teenage years and most of my 20’s I have never once thought the library offensive or took pride in it. It was a place to go to escape through suspension of belief, school research, or simply sit and read the newspaper in a rare silence. Darren McDon’tknow, your quote was not shined by brilliance, but tainted ugly by the current, and continuing, degradation of what was once good.
Mr McGuckin is not a White Supremacist, nor will he ever be one. He’d be the little jerk off the others would like to smack around a bit. You are not what you believe yourself to be McGuckin, you never will be. Your childish displays tell everything and I do feel sorry for what happened to you.
Comment from
Dan S.
December 3, 2008, 2:46 pm
Since *when* does “art” need a narrative?
If you need to explain the visuals, write a comic book!
Comment from
maerd
December 3, 2008, 2:54 pm
This is what the Aaron Weaver’s of the world grow up to be.
Trying to get everyone’s attention through stupid sick humor.
And I have never heard the term ‘If we don’t have something to offend you, we’re not doing our job,’ in the same sentence as a library. But what do you expect it is Oberlin.
Comment from
Dan S.
December 3, 2008, 4:25 pm
Credit, where credit is due…
The name of the legless Santa piece is *almost* whimsical enough to pull the piece together. And the ongoing theme of using Jews in his work, at least shows some sort of effort at going after a style.
And best of all for the artist, the name change is subtle enough so that the “artist” can deny any correlation to the name of the piece, with a fairly common Jewish surname (Tanenbaum), should anyone be offended that a Jewish tree is murdering a symbol of a Christian holiday.
For me, it almost works, but not quite.
Sure, I’m a big fan of offending people as long as you do it right.
But then, maybe this works well enough for others…
Guess I can’t really judge, when I have a web site with G.W. doing his dog on the home page.
Oddly enough, some people have told me they don’t think that works at all.
Comment from
Mrs. Waldman
December 3, 2008, 5:15 pm
I actually agree with Jack on this one. It’s not art and it’s stupid. Think of all the little children that believe in Santa seeing this.
It’s all done for shock value and attention.
Comment from
trux4
December 3, 2008, 5:31 pm
I’ll tell you what I don’t like about this; I use to liive in Wellington, now I live in southern Ohio. Man I miss those funny displays. For all you cry babies, turn your head the other way. You probally do things other people don’t like also. He has the freedom to do this, so go whine about something that you might actually make a diffrence about. Somebody’s sick humor isn’t going to hurt anyone, all it does is bring out all the cry babies that don’t agree.
Comment from
Lovinglife4me
December 3, 2008, 7:08 pm
trux4 even you agree it’s sick humor. It doesn’t need to be in a library where kids go.
This man is only after attention, and the sad thing is, he’s getting it.
Why do people speaking their mind get called cry babies? Is that suppose to intimidate us into keeping quiet? Try again!!!
Comment from
the banker
December 3, 2008, 8:23 pm
I heard next year he is going to do a rape scene with mrs claus, and 2 black reindeer. I cant wait
Comment from
ctReader
December 3, 2008, 10:00 pm
I can appreciate a good laugh in fact one of my favorites is a video of a drunk santa getting pulled over by the cops but this isn’t funny….it’s just stupid.
I don’t see the humor and it doesn’t offend me for that matter. Like my teenage daughter would say…Whatever….
Comment from
ctReader
December 3, 2008, 10:06 pm
Here’s the drunk santa video:
wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=EQ3Gm-JlESc
replace the word DOT with an actual dot.
Comment from
justsaying
December 4, 2008, 12:18 am
He just wants attention, and sadly…. he is getting it.. to bad it isn’t for doing something good though.. saddddddddddddd……….
Comment from
4eyes
December 4, 2008, 12:55 am
This is wrong on so many levels, I’m stunned that this is in a LIBRARY where people take children! As far as I’m concerned this garbage should be taken down, burned and the Director of the library should be in the unemployment line. “Remember the old library saying — ‘If we don’t have something to offend you, we’re not doing our job,’ ” McDonough said with a laugh. I have never been offended in a library and I have been in yours, Mr. McDonough, what the *%$# is wrong with you????
Comment from
Jack Miller
December 4, 2008, 2:11 am
MRS WALDMAN - See, deep down, I’m really not a bad guy after all. I’m a combination of Becker and Hank Hill. Sometimes more of the Becker than the Hill and vice versa. 
Comment from
DonTCare
December 4, 2008, 8:15 am
lol….. sounds like some have a new “SIGN” to fight over…. but I’ve seen how some folks decorate their own yards for christmas….. just as bad.. but know after the hollidays the crap will be taken down…. Why worry about it? Don’t like do go to the Library, besides didn’t Pope Julius II not like the Sistine Chapel at first?
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