Brooklyn artist Leon Reid IV launched a Kickstarter campaign this month in the hopes of dressing up the George Washington statue in Union Square (as he once did with Abraham Lincoln overseas). Specifically, Reid wanted to add props like an "I ♥ NY" hat, a subway map, and local shopping bags to make "a comic reflection of New York's tourist industry and spark public curiosity as to Washington's role in New York City history." Art In Odd Places was hoping to include the piece in their festival in October, and called Reid's work "very intelligent." But the city doesn't think so.
According to DNAInfo, Reid's Tourist-In-Chief statue isn't gonna happen, because the Parks Department doesn't allow dressing up public statues! (Although Gandhi seemed to like his knitwear last year). The agency says they've officially denied Reid's request, but Reid has raised more money than he hoped to via his campaign, so maybe he still has plans to follow through... for now, he's not talking.
