Statue of sleepwalking man in underwear causing panic at Wellesley College.

More than 100 students at the all-female Wellesley College have petitioned the school and its Davis Museum, asking administrators to remove the art, entitled Sleepwalker, which they feel is uncomfortable, a mere 24 hours after the statue's installation.

The petition on change.org--started by student Zoe Magid and written by Lauren Walsh--states, "[T]his highly lifelike sculpture has, within just a few hours of its outdoor installation, become a source of apprehension, fear, and triggering thoughts regarding sexual assault for many members of our campus community."

Continuing with the appeal, Walsh writes that "we ask that in the future, the Davis Museum and the College notify us before displaying public art, especially if it is of a particularly shocking or sensitive nature."

The artist, Tony Matelli, is still mum on the issue, but Davis Museum director Lisa Fischman wrote on the college's website that "I love the idea of art escaping the museum and muddling the line between what we expect to be inside (art) and what we expect to be outside (life). [...] As the best art does, Tony Matelli’s work provokes dialogue, and discourse is at the core of education."

For now, Sleepwalker remains walking.



photo: David L. Ryan, Boston Globe