Some Fruita residents are upset over a newly-installed sculpture by local artist Pavia Justinian that depicts a nude, anatomically-correct woman gracefully dancing. The sculpture, called Zafira, won the 2016 Peoples’ Choice Award in the Sculpture on 73rd Ave. display in Denver, and was the overwhelming favorite for the People’s Choice award for Art on the Corner in Grand Junction in 2021. Before now, no one had ever stated any complaints about the art work, but some people in Fruita have taken exception to the anatomically correct part. One person called it “pornographic.”
The sculpture is one of five new sculptures installed for Fruita’s 2025 HeArt of Fruita outdoor art program. Members of the Fruita Arts and Culture Board, two community sponsors and two downtown Fruita business owners all voted Zafira as the top sculpture to display, but after a Fruita resident complained about the sculpture on a Facebook page, there is talk of modifying or removing it.
The furor started September 7 after someone posted an anonymous complaint about the sculpture on the Fruita Message Board, calling it “pornographic”:
The post drew 356 comments, positive and negative, before message board admins shut off commenting. Some people were in favor of keeping the sculpture as is, others thought it needed to be modified to make it acceptable for public viewing. Some wanted it removed entirely.
At their monthly meeting September 10, the Arts and Culture Board heard from about 20 Fruita residents about the sculpture and were going to try to seek “a solution.” In the mean time, the Board tied an apron around the sculpture’s waist to hide the part of it that some Fruita residents are afraid of, and put up a sign next to it:
Artist statement about the controversy
Upon seeing the furor over her sculpture in her own home town, Justinian wrote on social media:
“I am aware of some of the negative things being said about Zafira on social media, and although I’m disappointed, I respect that people hold differing opinions, and not everyone is going to like my work. So far, I’ve let this conversation unfold and let my art speak for itself. But as soon as I saw that picture of Zafira covered up with an apron, it really made me sad and angry. No one asked me if that would be an acceptable solution to this issue. They’ve taken a piece of art that I’m proud of and slut-shamed her into a sideshow complete with an ugly costume and a shameful sign. When submitting Zafira to the HeART of Fruita art exhibit, I included a frontal shot showing her labia. It was never my intention to be deceptive or to hide the nature of this sculpture. “I never expected that out of all the places Zafira has been on display, it would be my own hometown that would choose to censor her.”
After their 9/10 meeting, the Arts and Culture Board removed the apron and sign.
As of Sunday, September 14, the sculpture appears as in the photo just above, in all its original beauty and sans apron.
No “solution” has yet been announced to the purported “problem” that never existed before anywhere else the sculpture has been displayed.
We’ll see how the Arts and Culture Board deals with what has been a non-existent problem, until now.
If you want to see a fascinating video about how Pavia Justinian created Zafira, watch the video below:
I love this sculpture. It’s joyous, free-flowing, and very human. Would these self-appointed critics pitch a fit over the far more explicit Michaelangelo’s David?
Like anything else that might offend someone, the only thing I can say is, if you don’t like it, don’t look at it (or read it, watch it, etc.) Some people seem to desperately need something to complain about.
Wasn’t that long ago Fruita residents and electeds really liked their “WTF” bumber stickers. Good times.