Flavorwire

We know that “everyone’s a critic” is just a saying, but, when it comes to public art, seriously, everyone is a critic. We can’t blame bored teenagers, confused moms, and everyone in-between for poking fun at the usually-gigantic installations imposed on cities who want to convert their everyday spaces into an open-air museum. As much as we love some good highbrow criticism of these sorts of pieces, we’re just as interested in the controversies these works create on the street. After the jump, check out nine hyped works of public art and the dirty nicknames, biting jokes, and larger scandals forever swirling around their legacies.

Covenant, Philadelphia

At the University of Pennsylvania, the red rolled sheets of milled steel towering over a campus pathway affectionately known as “Dueling Tampons.” The installation was set up in 1975 and dirty-minded college students haven’t left the poor sculpture alone since.