Brian Thompson of WNBC for NBC News Channel:
RAHWAY, New Jersey -- She had a striking resemblance to the Venus de Milo, but one complaint about a nude New Jersey snow sculpture led to it being clothed in bikini instead of the being in the buff.
"I don't think God made anything dirty," said Larry Cappiello of the Art Guild of Rahway, who couldn't believe anyone would object to the snow woman, sculpted during last week's snowstorm, on the front lawn of Elisa Gonzalez.
Gonzalez's house on a residential street in Rahway is well known for creative snow sculptures after big storms. The previous storm gave birth to a throne, and before that a "Snowbama."
"I think it was great fun, we made a lot of people smile," said Maria Conneran, 21, Elisa's daughter and the main sculptress of the replica of Venus de Milo, which can be seen in its original form at the Louvre.
But after a complaint to police, an officer drove by their home. After admiring the artistry, Rahway's police chief said the officer told Maria that perhaps she might want to cover Venus up -- although she maintains they were ordered to -- and so she did.
That's when the controversy began.
"The human body, it's what we are," said Cappiello of the Art Guild. "I don't think we should be ashamed of it."
But he admitted some nudity could be offensive. "If you try to insult people or create something controversial in a bad way then possibly that could be seen as pornography," said Cappiello.
Frank Mazzuca of Woodbridge, who took his own photos while driving by one day, saw it slightly differently. "I definitely believe people are way too uptight. If that's the case then don't take your kids to a museum, he said."
As for her 12 -year-old brother Jack, when asked about what he thought about girls and the female form, he replied with a smiling "No comment."
