APPLETON - The big head sculpture on East College Avenue might hang around a bit longer than expected before it finds a new home in Montana.

The artwork, titled "The Collective," is made from salvaged propane tanks that have been turned into faces and assembled to make a large head. It was created by Paul Bobrowitz and installed in the public right of way as part of Sculpture Valley's 2019-2021 ACREofART public art exhibition.

The unusual piece had an immediate effect on the public, drawing a mix of praise and scorn.

Sculpture Valley's two-year lease for "The Collective" will expire Nov. 7, normally dictating its removal, but the nonprofit arts group asked the city to extend the lease for an additional year.

The Municipal Services Committee stopped short of that Monday and instead recommended the city extend the lease nearly six months to April 30, with the stipulation that no further extension beyond that be granted. The vote was 4-0.

The Appleton Public Arts Committee will consider the matter next week, followed by the Common Council.

Alex Schultz, executive director of Sculpture Valley, said an extension is needed to provide additional time to transport the artwork to its new home in Bozeman, Montana.

"It's already snowing out there, essentially, so we weren't able to get it coordinated in time for the winter," Schultz told The Post-Crescent. "We're just asking for an extension so we can move it economically."

The placement of ACREofART sculptures are funded by sponsors and aren't a burden on taxpayers.

"The Collective" was sponsored by the Moore Family in memory of Linda Moore, an Appleton advocate for outsider art. One of her sons, Christopher Moore, plans to purchase the artwork for $18,000 for display in Bozeman, where he lives.

Arranging to ship the 1,500-pound sculpture at a reasonable cost, though, thus far has proven difficult, Schultz said.

Sculpture Valley also requested lease extensions for two other sculptures on public property: "Gesture of Consciousness" at Jones Park and "To the Moon Alice" at Vulcan Heritage Park.

"These things happen," Schultz said. "It's COVID era. Everyone has to have a little bit more flexibility than what we're used to."

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Schultz said he would reach out to residents in the East College Avenue neighborhood to inform them of Sculpture Valley's request for an extension "just so we don't, you know, inadvertently anger them more than we already have."

The lack of notification was a sticking point in the approval process two years ago.

Bobrowitz's sculpture created a stir when it appeared along East College Avenue in late 2019. The Post-Crescent compiled a sampling of comments at the time.

"This is the ugliest piece of art I have ever seen," Joan Vogel of Appleton said.

Others defended "The Collective" and Sculpture Valley's mission of bringing art to the masses. "Hope all of us consider being open to and appreciate modern sculptures in our neighborhoods," Gayle Schultz of Appleton said.

Before voting for the lease extension, Alderperson Brad Firkus said the clamor surrounding the artwork appears to have subsided since 2019, even if opinions remain strong.

"I'm sure there are some people out there who hate it just as much as they did the first day it was set and some people who love it just as much as well," Firkus said.

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.