A Daily Dose of Potassium: On a Roll- Downey, CA

Months back, when I was in Downey, California, I was doing a walking tour of Richard and Karen’s hometown for the Karen Carpenter tour. Going down one street, we passed a very bizarre statue. Many people, including myself, stopped to take pictures. It was a banana with feet and was wearing roller skates. This athletic fruit stands at 6 feet tall. 

This bizarre sculpture was made by sculptor Jack Hill and was donated to the city of Downey as part of a series of art installations in 2020 for Downey Avenue. 

A little info on the artist: Jack Hill is a sculptor who does a lot of work, many of which focus on food-related puns, i.e., Garlic Breath, where two garlic bulbs have human faces. He has also done a lot of work with bananas, such as a sculpture of a banana slipping on a glove and another installation on a bench in South Carolina. 

While the sculpture drew onlookers amused by the statue's farce look, it also drew criticism. Much of the criticism debates what the statute is supposed to mean or what the message is. 

According to Jack Hill, the message of this artwork is to promote a healthy lifestyle. The artist’s first thought was a banana on skates when a healthy lifestyle came to mind. All I know is that, based on this guy's subject history, bananas seem to impact his life profoundly. 

A clone is also located at Riverfront Park in Little Rock, Arkansas. The same reception was held there as well.

Whether this has a meaning or not, it still draws much amusement from people. The city of Downey had a good reception of the art installation, and they intended to provoke discussion among other people.