MLK Sculptor also Painted Glenn Beck in Manure

A lot of liberals think Glenn Beck is full of, well, manure, but one artist Michael Murphy has taken it further than most. He did a picture of Beck using manure instead of paint. And now, anti-Beck demonstrators have hired Murphy to create a sculpture ... honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

The Washington Post reported Aug. 17 that Murphy will unveil "The People's Memorial to King" in Washington, D.C., on Aug 28, the anniversary of King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Conservative television and radio host Glenn Beck is scheduled to host a rally that day at the Lincoln Memorial, where King delivered his speech in 1963. The sculpture unveiling is part of a counter-demonstration called "Celebrate the Dream," which the Post described as "a grass-roots network of artists, community organizers and social activists."

But the Post's report ignored an intriguing link between the conservative activist and liberal artist: Murphy's 2009 portrait of Beck, which used "bull manure" as paint.

Politico reported on Murphy's painting in September 2009. On his website, Murphy described the painting as "bull manure and pigment on canvas."

"Murphy, who specializes in large-scale public art installations, said his vision was to create a sculpture that would convey the ideal of ‘unification and bringing people together,'" the Post said of the King sculpture. "Murphy describes the piece as a ‘directional' sculpture ‘that has four specific vantage points. ... If you were to stray from the ideal point of view, the message gets lost,' Murphy said."

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