When “The Poem” was installed on Washburn University’s campus in 1994, it was meant to be part of a new campus beautification project. However, the statue’s presence quickly stirred controversy.

The bronze figure of a seated woman reading on a bench, created by Timothy Francis Degginger, Topekan artist, was one of several sculptures commissioned through the Art on Campus initiative. However, almost immediately, students and faculty began to question the quality and appropriateness of the artwork.

“The university women that I know don’t sit around on park benches reading vapid love letters with their cleavage showing,” said Tish Rogers, former executive director of the Topeka Arts Council, in a 1994 Washburn Review article.

​​Many in the art community felt blindsided by the decision, arguing that the piece hadn’t been properly vetted or selected through a committee process. According to an article titled, “New Campus Art Stirs Controversy” published by the Washburn Review and written by Chris Yops, the uproar reflected a larger frustration within the campus art community, which felt excluded from the process and concerned about the university’s approach to public art.

Donald Doe, the director of the Mulvane Art Museum at the time, voiced his disappointment publicly, stating, “the overwhelming concern on the part of the art community here is that it falls short of being credible.”

Washburn art student Damian Valdivia, then a senior, was even more direct, calling the sculptures “junk.” He criticized the decision to purchase the piece instead of showcasing work from Washburn’s own students, saying, “It’s tacky. I really don’t see it as art. The person who bought it… if they really like it… should put it in front of their house.”

In response to these concerns, as campus beautification projects continued, administrators promised that future installations would be more thoroughly reviewed to ensure transparency and campus involvement. Still, “The Poem” remained, both a fixture of Washburn’s landscape and a lasting reminder of how deeply subjective art and its place on campus can be.

Degginger owned and operated Degginger’s Foundry in Topeka, a well-known site for bronze casting that served artists across the Midwest. Degginger was a craftsman himself whose work can be seen across the city, from the Great Overland Station to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

A foundry is a workshop or factory where metal is melted and poured into molds to create castings, often used for sculptures, tools and machinery. Degginger’s foundry specialized in the traditional “lost wax” method, where molten bronze is poured into molds made from wax and plaster. While Degginger himself poured and cast the bronze for The Poem, the identity of the original sculptor who created the mold remains unclear, as does the original meaning and intent behind it.

Three decades later, “The Poem” still draws attention, but for a very different reason: the statue’s chest has been rubbed smooth and bright from years of contact. This kind of physical interaction isn’t unique to Washburn’s campus. Around the world, statues of powerful or symbolic women have experienced the same fate, becoming tourist attractions not for their artistry or meaning, but for the cultural habit of touching their bodies. In Verona, Italy, the statue of Shakespeare’s Juliet has had her right breast polished to a golden sheen by visitors who believe it brings good luck in love. In New York City, the “Alice in Wonderland” statue in Central Park shows similar wear, particularly on Alice’s hands and chest, from decades of children and adults climbing and touching the figure. Even the “Fearless Girl” statue, which stands defiantly facing Wall Street’s Charging Bull, has inspired an uncomfortable amount of focus on her body rather than her message of strength and equality.

In each case, what begins as a small gesture, rubbing a statue for luck or for a photo, reveals something deeper about how society perceives women in art. Rather than being honored for their power or symbolism, these figures are often reduced to objects of fascination or touch. The Poem now exists at the intersection of admiration and disrespect, echoing the ongoing tension between how women are depicted and how they are treated, even in bronze.

Degginger passed away in April 2025, remembered as a man of intellect, artistry and deep compassion, a “foundryman with the heart of a poet,” according to his obituary. Though “The Poem” was controversial from the start, its continued presence invites ongoing conversation about art, beauty and respect.

What began as a campus beautification project has become something more complex. A mirror of changing cultural values and a reminder that art, even bronze and silent, still speaks.

Edited by Anushma Dahal and Stuti Khadka