By Bill Tracy

Dave Poulin was a noted sculptor who produced more than 120 commissioned works over a 27-year career. Although his sculptures were displayed around the world, many were in western New York and northwest Pennsylvania (including eleven in the Jamestown area) due to Poulin’s local connection. Poulin was born in Oceanside Long Island and taught at Saint Bonaventure University and at the BOCES cooperative education school in Ellicottville. He also renovated a warehouse that became a studio and art school in Jamestown.

So, even though Poulin’s work can best be described as narrative rather than representational, he was chosen to create a statue of Celoron New York’s hometown hero Lucille Ball. Poulin’s statue was unveiled in 2009 and praised by the couple who had sponsored him. But by 2012, a Facebook campaign titled "We Love Lucy; Get Rid of This Statue!" seemed to represent the opinion of most people in the Jamestown area regarding “Scary Lucy.” In 2015 the media picked up on the controversy and the Celoron mayor assembled a team to choose an artist to create a new sculpture. The sculptor chosen, Carolyn Palmer, was renowned for her likeness of Pope Francis among others. Her new statue, colloquially dubbed “Lovely Lucy” was unveiled in August of 2016 to immediate acclaim.

Unfortunately, Poulin received death threats and eventually quit sculpting. Poulin died unexpectedly in 2020 of a pulmonary embolism. An obituary in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise noted that it is unfitting to define Poulin by his Lucy statue alone. Chautauqua Institution President Michael Hill, who knew Poulin well, said “I get very frustrated when he’s attached to the ‘Scary Lucy’ debacle because his body of work far eclipses that. … He was a gifted metal sculptor.” Hill went on to say, “He was passionate and creative … He was an approachable and accomplished teacher. Students felt unbelievably comfortable instantly walking into his office and I think he was gifted in helping people unlock their own creativity. He was committed not only to his art but to his students and his projects. He’s just an all-around wonderful teacher and renaissance guy.”