Are we allowed to scrutinize public art, even if the public doesn’t pay for it? It only took the city of Buffalo 15 minutes to shut it off and five days for Mayor Jimmy Griffin to tear down Billie Lawless’ sculpture "Green Lightning" in 1984.
It may have had something to do with dancing neon figures that resembled Mr. Peanut. But, to this day it’s unclear if the artist tricked the city or the city acted hastily.
For the first time, through interviews, court documents, and press clippings, the story of "Green Lightning" is told.
The story of "Green Lightning" is a cautionary tale about the importance of public art education. If the public is not aware of the different meanings and interpretations of art, they are more likely to react to it in a negative way. It is important for people to understand that art is subjective, and that what one person finds offensive, another person may find beautiful.
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He stood perched about thirty feet in the air, feeling the cold steel of his neon artwork under his feet. It was chilly and dark that mid-November day, but at that moment, he refused to back down. “I didn’t know what to do. I was extremely frightened and shaken,” he would recall.
Who was he and why was he on top of that structure? His name is William Burns Lawless III, but he goes by Billie. He was born July 16, 1950 in Buffalo, New York, the third of 12 children born to Jeanne and William Burns Lawless Jr. His father went to Notre Dame Law School, then Harvard Law School. Lawless Jr. served as youngest corporation counsel in Buffalo and was president of the Common Council in 1956. After serving in that position, they appointed him to the New York State Supreme Court in 1960.
Six of Billie’s siblings would practice law, a path they expected him to take, but he took one much different from the rest of his five brothers and six sisters.
He would attend St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, a highly rated Catholic school in Buffalo. “I was a jock in high school,” he recalled in 1980.
As a rower at St. Joe’s in 1967, he was the stroke of the varsity team. “We were the first high school team to win both the American and Canadian varsity championships in the same year,” he said. In his senior year, Billie represented the United States at the World Rowing Championships held in the Netherlands, competing in the straight four.
Mark Griffis, son of Buffalo sculptor Larry Griffis Jr., attended high school with Billie. “He was a lot older than I was. He was a great athlete at crew, yet that did not define him.”
