Art is supposed to get people talking. And that is what a giant statue of a mule is doing in McKinney.
The mule has a pair of lips planted on its hind leg.
It was commissioned by former McKinney City Council member Don Day to sit in front of a beer garden being built on El Dorado Parkway near State Highway 5.
“It's a beautiful, whimsical work of art,” Day said.
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The work of art is titled "LMAO," an acronym for, “Laughing my a** off,” Day explained with a smile.
Day owns the property where, four years ago, the then McKinney city council member was fined $44,000 by the city who said he cut down trees illegally, a claim Day disputes.
"I think they're wrong,” he told NBC 5 in 2017.
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Day said he ended up paying a fraction of the fine to move on.
Now, people are getting a kick out of his statue.
“There are some people who probably disagree with me and I thought they ought to have a place to put their lips,” Day said.
McKinney artist Jake Dobscha carved the statue out of Indiana limestone, a process that took eight months.
“He asked to have a brand with a set of lips put on it and I was all about that,” Dobscha said. “He said he wanted to be able to tell people to kiss his a** and give ‘em an address.”
Day says the statue cost $22,000.
Since construction was finished in February, he said many have speculated about its meaning.
“It’s sending a message to all levels of government that we're tired of their stupidity,” Day said.
McKinney Mayor George Fuller said he stands by the fine. He said the city values its trees and that there's an ordinance in place which prevents developers from unilaterally cutting them down without approval, a process the mayor said Day did not follow.
