Museums offer an opportunity to see art that you want to see, and the opportunity to avoid art that you do not want to see, and to choose the time and place. It all may seem perfectly harmless to build snow sculptures, but parents, as well as everyone else, have the right to limit what they and their children view, and when. It simply wasn't appropriate, and it was the proper thing to do to be considerate of others' feelings and sensibilities when displaying something in public.

@ languishing in jersey why do i get the feeling YOUR THE NOSY NEIGHBOR who called the police. you've responded 3 times to the same article. so fyi sweety i sure hope you don't allow your kids to watch anything but channel 13 and when they come up parents at very young ages remember to blame NO ONE BUT YOURSELF

@Languishing in Jersey...You say you have the right to to limit what and when your children view, finding the sculpture inappropriate and inconsiderate of others' feelings and sensibilities. I am the mom of five children ranging from age 24 to age 3. From one mom to another, you can only censor so much. Your children are exposed to things that you can't even imagine as they grow up. Educating them, not sheltering them, is the best gift you can give them. It's a waste of your time and energy to attempt to censor nudity which is not "pornography"! This could have been a teaching moment for parents.

P.S. In our household, nudity is not a big deal, art is celebrated, and violence is not tolerated. So far, so good: My daughter is an architect and artist, one son is in medical school, and another is studying to become a nurse. And they all treat others with respect and compassion. Imagine that!

@Languishing in Jersey.... Yes parents do have the right to determine what their own children see. They also unfortunately have the right to pass on their own hang-ups and prejudices to their children... which is why so many of those children will end up either in psychotherapy, hate groups/gangs, or taking their own live out of guilt because they can't accept themselves.

Yes... a parent's influence can have a lasting effect on their child's attitudes. So instead of a parent telling their child that the naked snowwoman is something dirty and to be ashamed of, why can't the parent instead tell their child that the snowwoman is a replica of a famous work of art and something to be admired. The child will believe whatever the parent says and imitate the parent's reaction....whether it be one of admiration or hate, acceptance or closemindedness.

Except when somebody puts crosses and nativity scenes in public. Then the complaints from offended people go ignored.

Well in terms of the power of the minority vs the majority in this country, we only have to look to the workings of our Congress in the past year. With the minority party of No impeding the progress of everything from health care reform to unemployment benefits for the citizens of this country.

Lillian, I couldn't have said it better myself!

Christians do degrade women. Maybe that's the problem they had with this. The Venus celebrates women, and is not degrading in any way. People just need to grow up and stop being so offended by everything.

So, King Dave, who anointed you the judge of art? (And such an art historian, to boot!) And what does religion, of ANY KIND, have the slightest thing to do with this? What does degradation of anyone have to do with this sculpture? Sorry King, but this country was founded on secular principles and not those of the religious right.

PS: Sorry to disappoint you King, but it's Michelangelo.

Sorry, it's actually Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarrot Simoni! But who has time to wiki everything!The king also graced this board to give his opinion,not to hear yours!If I must,I can tolerate your bible thumping,freedom of expression hating,straight people intolerant,point of view! Of course I'm going to disappoint you people!

No King, you didn't disappoint anyone... we got exactly what we expected !

I am always amazed by the pseudo-puritanical reaction given to such nonsensical things. Have these neighbors never been to a museum? Do they really think that this snow woman would somehow corrupt the minors of their community. It is disgusting that people like this feel so secure to stick their noses into other people's business, and to call the police on a harmless snow sculpture is laughable. I'd love to have these people as my neighbors - I'd really give them something to call the cops on.

Oh mighty King Dave! Thank you for graciously giving us your opinions from up high. Who are the rest of us to even contemplate an opinion given your brilliance. I am humbled to even exist in the same universe as thee. Sal-om!

P.S. Get over yourself Christian hating bigot!

I also hate to break the news to any uptight Christians out there, but the Virgin Mary didn't exactly remain so. She was married to Joseph after all and had other children after Jesus was born. (I refer you to the bible references below.) And in fact, there is nothing wrong with that.... otherwise what does that say about our own mothers. None of us were the products of virgin births after all. Get a grip Christians, the human body and sex are both gifts from god, not something to be ashamed of.

Being a Christian, I take GREAT offense to King's statments. I thought the snow sculpture was beautiful! A really nice recreation of the famous statue. If more people in this country would spent their time on projects like that and MUCH LESS time HATING others, we'd all be a lot better off.

Also, I firmly agree with DScully. Mary -was- a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus but, being a married woman, wouldn't have remained one. Sooooo many people are WAY too uptight about sex/sexuality.

By the way... Who ever said that the neighbor was a Christian? It's not stated in the article what, if any, religion she held. It's not just Christians/Catholics/religious people that start stinks about things like this. It's UPTIGHT people that have nothing better else to do than stick their noses into and force their beliefs/opinions on other people. Why can't we all just get along? Why can't we live and let live?

Enough from the court jester!

King David, I am a Christian, Southern Baptist to be exact, and I found nothing about the Snow Venus to be offensive. Why is it when someone complaigns about something that that individual does not like, some have to automatically assign the complaint to Christians. Oh and King David, my wife is Wiccan, so get off your high horse you do not have a leg to stand on, and you sound totally rediculous.

Your grammer is terrible!I have read your comment several times,and I still have no idea what your talking about! No disrespect to your wife,but I have no idea what a "Wiccan" is, but I can guess, it's not an English teacher!

That's because nobody wants to see them nude! It's a shame when a snow sculpture arouses more feelings than your neighbors figure!I didn't think I mentioned the tea baggers..But I would start my own party... The beer baggers!

They should cover it up! They made my unit tiny and weird looking!I certainly never modeled for that sculpture,I'd been dead for thousands of years!ps King David was taken! lol

To Celt-byblood.... I agree, these are the same lunatics who insist that a fig leaf, or worse... a loin cloth, be added to Michelangelo's work of art, The David. Talk about sacrilege!

To jamescyberjoe.... I was amused that your comments are so close in verbage to mine. Truly.... it never ceases to amaze me how ridiculous and prudish some Americans can be about the human body. But fortunately not all of us are so close-minded or uptight. This country needs a good healthy dose of European culture and attitude in regards to art appreciation and self expression, as well as nudity and human sexuality.

What's more it usually these same people with nudity and sexual hangups who have no objections to what their children see when violence is being portrayed in a movie or TV show, they are all for that! Which is why we are one of the most violent counties on the planet.... no thanks to the NRA.

I'm guessing that the people who objected were on the board of the homeowners' association, the same people who have nothing better to do but live out their fantasies of being dictators of small countries.

By the way, if my child ever made a sculpture as good as that one in art class or on the playground at recess, I'd be extremely proud.

@ z1r2p3 I don't think they were trying to create a stir....Apparently they make snow sculptures all the time. They did one of President Obama after his inauguration and another of a throne. They just seem like an artistic family expressing themselves! Not many would think that the replication of Venus de Milo would make the national news.

To Dana the Revolutionary... I had to laugh at your comment about "the same people who have nothing better to do but live out their fantasies of being dictators of small countries", having recently had a bad experience with "dictatorial management in an apartment complex I recently lived at.

In regards to being proud of a child who creates such a sculpture on the playground.... I agree... and get that child out of that repressive educational institution and into one where the child's artistic talents and expression will be nurtured and applauded.

Here Here Dana the Revolutionary and DScully! Those who so outwardly express their objections to an artists rendering of something so magnificent as the human body are, I suspect, wallowing in a foul psychological sesspool of Blame-and-Shame. They've been trained and conditioned to regard nudity as shameful, and feel incensed by their neighbors lack of shame so they default to blame. So sad to know of others wasting their precious time so stuck!

Nudity is not necessarily "shameful" but like most things it is most beautiful when kept between the privacy of two people. What makes it "shameful" is society's constant need to parade it around and exploit it.

As far as the lawn sculpture, I wouldn't classify it as "porn" but if you are going to display something in public for all to see, you should make sure it is "G-rated". They can be as freaky R / X-rated as they want in their home but in public be considerate of everyone.

As far as parading nudity around and exploiting it... it's really only recently that that has happened. Look at most of the great works of art. A great deal of them portrayed nude women/men/people. Nudity used to be celebrated as natural and normal. Only when these 'puritanical' views became prominent did nudity become something 'shameful'. Heck humans were made, BY DESIGN, to be nude.

People were not "DESIGNED" to walk around nude. If we were meant to be nude all the time we would grow fur in the winter. ANIMALS were "DESIGNED" to walk around nude, therefor must adapt to the environment and elements and grow fur. PEOPLE KEEP YOUR CLOTHES ON!!!

LOL.... I appreciate your views and your sarcasm.... especially in regards to Fox news, Glenn Beck and Rush the "Dim" baugh. Unfortunately too many unwitting Americans actually take this triple axis of lunacy seriously.

Yes mikiec, that's great! And so true DScully -- hard to fathom just how anyone could take such maniacs so seriously. To the degree of worship and idolizing for some. Too bad we can't just bulid them their own planet!

Even the Christians say their women's body should be covered so angels don't fall for their beauty and devilish behavior.It's in the bible sweetheart! And why does God have to be a him?Why make some of "his" creatures disfigured?If you want people to see all Gods glory,You will not be able to hide all the sick ones "he's" weeding! Truly your intelligence and goodness comes from inside you,seems your selling yourself short crediting "God knows what" lol

Snow sculptures of the female form is the "gateway drug" which tempts mere men into devious and perverse thoughts and ,before you know it, they will begin raping and pillaging the women of the land and go to hell. Unless they are “saved” of course.

Bible says? That is the biggest piece of fiction ever written. I wouldn't let my kids read it.

Agreed, although it is in itself a work of art, as writing, albeit composed by a slew of writers, who knows how many times rewritten, but even if my own children wanted to actually read it cover to cover, they'd probably see for themselves how simplistic it is, and maybe even understand that it was compiled by those with an extremely limited two thousand year old world view.

I should have said that they could have created anything they wanted out of the snow.

You miss the point. They did create exactly what they wanted.