"Next time, why don't they put a gold fence around the Maryland Institute?" commented another.
Matters did not improve on Thursday, when Freeman's teachers strongly encouraged him to free the park by removing sections of the fence, which made the whole structure unstable in a strong wind. Toppled sections knocked a chunk of marble off a carved staircase and threatened passing cars and pedestrians, so Freeman had to re-chain the fence overnight for safety's sake. Portions were opened again on Friday.
His trials have "made me never want to do public art again," said Dana Solano, a senior interactive media major "interested in psycho-geography" who is involved in another part of the Mount Vernon art project.
Other young artists have been inspired by Freeman's grace under fire - and falling fences.
"In youth-speak, I'd say he's a pretty chill guy," said 20-year-old Jonathan Taube, another sculpture major. "Young artists are important, because they're not set in their ways. This conversation should be about the fence as a metaphor." (Taube's contribution to the show involves collecting street debris in a hollow structure, then growing sunflowers in it - "bio-remediation," he explained.)
In the end, the controversy could help Freeman mature as an artist, said Jonathan Borofsky, creator of the much-criticized Male/Female sculpture at Pennsylvania Station and no stranger to hate mail.
"It could scar him for life, but if he was asking for trouble, he was probably ready for it," Borofsky said. "He's out there, talking to everybody. That takes a strength. Weakness is people who stay in the studio," hiding from critics.
Freeman certainly hasn't given up on his project. He is, in fact, re-seeing it: Documenting the fence's fate has become artwork, too. As various segments flopped over late last week, he paused to snap pictures before charging into rush-hour traffic to make repairs.
"I really hope to continue the conversation!" he called over his shoulder. It wasn't clear if he meant The Conversation, or an interrupted interview.
"He's very serious about his artwork," said Jack Freeman, Lee Freeman's father, who studied architecture at Cooper Union, and who used to construct cardboard castles with his young son. Freeman's mother, a graphic designer, also attended the New York school; she taught Lee to paint with watercolors.
Lee's parents know that the controversy has shaken him, but "he has an inner core of toughness" in addition to a creative soul, Jack Freeman said.
"It took him a while to make the decision to seriously pursue this kind of work," Freeman's father continued. "Hopefully he won't go become an accountant now."
abigail.tucker@baltsun.com
The artist
Name: Lee Benjamin Freeman
Age: 22
From: New York City
School: MICA, Senior
Quote: "The project will be in flux until it comes down. That's what's interesting about working in public."
Artistic Influences: Robert Barry, Christo (creator of The Gates in Central Park), Lawrence Weiner, Robert Smithson, and working for Julian Schnabel in New York City
Favorite Color: Clear
