Forever Marilyn Unveiling On Father’s Day In Palm Springs

by Publisher CoachellaValley | June 21, 2021 7:36 pm

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (CNS) — An enormous sculpture depicting Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress-flying pose from the 1955 romantic comedy “The Seven Year Itch” will be formally unveiled this weekend, and protesters are preparing a showing of their own.

A ceremony planned to mark the return of “Forever Marilyn” — which was previously on display in the city for about two years — will get underway at 7 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Museum Way and Belardo Road, according to organizers.

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The affair will include music by DJ Alf Alpha, several speakers and a flyover by Palm Springs Air Museum aircraft.

What You Need To Know

An enormous sculpture depicting Marilyn Monroe’s iconic pose from “The Seven Year Itch” will be formally unveiled this weekend.

The ceremony planned to mark the return of “Forever Marilyn” will get underway at 7 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Museum Way and Belardo Road

Simultaneously, the Women’s March Foundation has planned to join other groups to protest the statue’s installation, citing the “sexual objectification of a beloved icon in the era of #metoo,” the organization announced.

The group plans to gather on Museum Way between Museum Drive and Belardo Road, beginning at 6 p.m.

“The 26-foot-tall `statue’ of Marilyn Monroe is designed for viewers to walk in between the legs, look up her dress and snap a picture of her crotch or buttocks for fun,” said Emiliana Guereca, Women’s March Foundation’s executive director. “It is sexist, exploitive and misogynistic. Even in death, Marilyn has no peace. We are demanding the statue be moved; #metoomarilyn has no place in Palm Springs.”

The group plans to gather on Museum Way between Museum Drive and Belardo Road, beginning at 6 p.m.

Women’s March organizers are not the first to speak out against the statue’s return to Palm Springs.

A lawsuit by a group of local residents threatens to thwart the effort to keep it at its new location. The Committee to Relocate Marilyn sued the city of Palm Springs for allowing the statue to be placed in downtown, alleging the city violated various municipal and state codes in agreeing to close Museum Way during the statue’s stay.

A status hearing in that case is scheduled for July 20. In April, a judge denied a motion by the plaintiff that sought to block the statue’s placement.

PS Resorts, a nonprofit tourism organization, purchased the sculpture from Seward Johnson Atelier in February for $1 million plus installation costs.

It arrived in several pieces last week, which required a 60-ton crane to hoist into place. Welding materials ignited a section of bubble wrap during the installation process last Friday, causing a brief fire but no injuries or damage to the sculpture.

The Palm Springs City Council approved a location agreement with PS Resorts in December. The agreement includes a term of up to three years, and requires periodic updates back to the council.

PS Resorts Chairman Aftab Dada previously said he wanted to see the statue remain at the Museum Way location permanently. After two years, the statue’s local economic impact will be measured by an outside firm, he said.

The 17-ton statue crafted of steel and aluminum was first unveiled in Chicago in 2011 before moving to the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs in 2012, where it was on display for about two years.

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