MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has filled his ceremonial office in the Statehouse with art by his wife, Katie Hunt, which depicts the governor as a peacock and the state’s press corps as judgmental cows.
The paper-mache sculptures were installed Monday and will remain through June 20, State Curator David Schutz said.
In her artist’s statement, Hunt calls the art “a satirical critique of people in power.”
"My work is meant to serve as a satirical look at everything in current life, including myself, my husband, the press, and others," Hunt said in a statement Tuesday through the governor's spokesman. "Having my work displayed in the State House adds to the message of satire that I was hoping to achieve. I'm glad people have taken an interest in the work."
One installation, titled “Judgment Day,” portrays three cow-reporters with sharp teeth who hunch over laptops and notepads in front of a fourth cow who stands in high heels.
The standing cow is meant to represent the artist in her experience with the media, Schutz said.
“What’s interesting is the cows that portray the media in ‘Judgment Day’ have teeth like crocodiles and are obviously seen in a somewhat negative light here as they weigh in on judging the governor’s wife,” Schutz said.
Hunt and Shumlin made headlines last year when they announced their engagement and marriage.
Shumlin and Hunt became engaged in July but delayed an announcement until September after receiving inquiries from the media. Shumlin said at the time that Hunt wished to remain out of the public eye.
He joked later that he expected the story to be buried in media coverage, only to see a front-page article in the Burlington Free Press. Hunt was 31 years old when her engagement with Shumlin, then 59, was announced.
“What I see is her response to the media,” Schutz said, adding later, “This is something that clearly bothered her.”
The cows carry press credentials for “Dairy-Free Press,” “CowPieSlinger.org,” and “Bovine Days.” The cow wearing “Dairy-Free Press” credentials has scrawled a note that reads “Too young, too reserved,” referring to the figure that represents Hunt.
Hunt’s second set of sculptures is titled “P-cock went hunting,” depicting a peacock with a gun and a disemboweled buck.
The peacock represents Shumlin, who is well-known as a deer hunter, according to Schutz.
Hunt created the sculptures for a senior honors thesis at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Schutz said the governor saw the art and asked Hunt to allow him to display them in Montpelier.
“He is incredibly proud of her talent as an artist and happy to have it displayed in his office,” said Scott Coriell, a spokesman for the governor. He declined to comment on whether the governor intended to make a comment on the media by displaying the art.
“It is the governor’s office, and I think it’s appropriate for him to display what he’d like in there,” Coriell said.
Shumlin often uses the ornate ceremonial office for press conferences, bill-signings and other events. Shumlin was scheduled to sign the state budget at the ceremonial office Wednesday, but the event was moved Tuesday to a conference room at the Pavilion Building just down the road.
This story was first posted online June 7, 2016.
Follow April Burbank on Twitter: @aprilburbank
