MURAL MIFF — WAS IT A SEXUAL ORGAN OR AN ARMREST?

Here’s the problem with public art.

Sometimes people think it’s all about the pubic region.

That’s what happened in Plant City, when some folks thought a mural on an antique store contained a penis. Actually, it was an armrest, according to the artist, reports the Tampa Tribune.

Now Plant City commissioners have voted to essentially ban new outdoor paintings from their historic downtown.

The law was sparked by Commissioner Mike Sparkman, who said he was alarmed over the recent mural.

The mural, something akin to Norman Rockwell “April Fools” piece, has since been altered. But Blake Emory, who helped create the mural, couldn’t understand all the fuss. He said he was surprised an armrest was apparently mistaken for a sex organ.

Edward Haynes, the owner of Hannas Antiques, who paid for the controversial mural said, “If the city was so interested in the moral character of the city why don’t they do something about the prostitutes soliciting on the city streets, or the bums sleeping in vacant lots at night? I’m all for decency. I have a family too. But let’s not get so upset and misplace our energy when it is needed elsewhere.”

Photo: Staff photo by GEORGE H. NEWMAN This mural – retouched to remove the controversial content – sparked the debate.