Vagina Sculpture Outside Wasilla High School Sparks Controversy

Wasilla High School Sculpture Looks Like Vagina

Jim Dault's and Shala Dobson's sculpture, "The Warrior Within", sits proudly in front of Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska. Some locals are angry (and lots of high school students are laughing) because the sculpture bears more than a passing resemblance to a vagina.

The Wasilla High School sculpture is described thus:

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The Warrior Within: 'Vagina Sculpture' at Wasilla High School

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“Emerging from the powerful stone form are two warrior shields encircled by glowing feathers,” the description says, adding the art is a monument to the warrior spirit. “The bronze shield has a hand impression showing ‘good deeds.’ The aluminum shield has a flame symbol representing the ‘spark of inspiration.’ The stone form represents the strong material from which a warrior is made.”

Or... or you could say it looks like a vagina. Because it looks like a vagina, and we're not 100% clear on how anyone didn't notice that before agreeing to put it in front of a high school, whose population is fixated firmly on sex and sexuality.

That big hand-print in the middle of the sculpture? Not helping. It's like something out of South Park.

Even the official description is eyebrow-raising:

What to do with the sculpture, though? Wasilla High School principal Amy Spargo covered the sculpture, saying "I just wanted to re-engage the public process" (which is a sentence that means nothing). However, covering a public artwork could be considered censorship.

Also, to what extent should "it looks like a vagina" influence the artists' actions? How soon before the sculpture gets vandalized? How many Wasilla High School students have already incorporated "The Warrior Within" into their Facebook profile pics?

(Everyone's pointing out that Wasilla, Alaska is Sarah Palin's hometown, so we acknowledge that, but it has nothing to do with this story.)