I’ve Got Nothin
by John Musico
I was given this life sized brass hand ashtray, which rests palm up. I set it down on a table and immediately was uneasy with it. What angle should it be positioned at? Any angle seemed awkward. But it bothered me more than that. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then, it came to me. The image of an out stretched hand palm up is the uncomfortable image of a beggar pressing you for a handout. So, I put a quarter in the palm and named the ashtray, turned sculpture; “The Beggar.” Now it’s supposed to make you uncomfortable.