Hank Robar’s Toilet Art

Back in 2004, Hank Robar wanted to get a property he owned in Potsdam, NY rezoned so that he could open a donut store there. His application was rejected, and in response Robar created a "toilet garden" — which consisted of rows of old toilets with poles behind them. The toilets had flowers in them. The 'toilet garden' was apparently allowed under local zoning laws because it was "art."

Since 2004, Robar has battled with the local government over other properties, and as a result Potsdam has been home to a number of his toilet gardens. He's currently in the process of creating a new one.

Robar's toilet art has sparked some lively debate in the community about what exactly qualifies as art.

Update: It says here that Robar's toilets are legal not because they're art, per se, but because they have flowers in them, so he can claim that they're planter boxes, which are allowed under zoning laws. Also, he's not the only guy who's thought of displaying toilets as a protest against local government.
     Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 27, 2015
     Category: Art





Comments
Around my little town, toilets as planters in the front yard is common. So is the occasional old dead pickup with a tree growing up through the cab.
Posted by KDP on 07/27/15 at 03:57 PM
These local potentates have only as much power as the people allow them to have.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 07/28/15 at 12:21 AM
How do they fertilize the flowers?
Posted by Fluffy Bunny Slippers on 07/28/15 at 03:47 AM
2004? Wouldn't that make it one of the earliest legal pot farms?
Nowhere else but Potsdam!
Posted by tadchem on 07/28/15 at 01:11 PM
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