U.S. Rejects Statue of Family on Steam Grate for Pageant

WASHINGTON — A statue decribed as a “modern Nativity scene” that depicts a homeless family huddled on a steam grate has been rejected by the National Park Service for display in the annual Pageant of Peace on the Ellipse.

The pageant committee considered the scene inappropriate for the annual display at the foot of the national Christmas tree behind the White House, Park Service spokeswoman Sandra Alley said today.

The statue is of a man, woman and child--all black--huddled together on a steam grate, which would shroud the figures in a continuous cloud of steam, according to Mitch Snyder, an advocate for the homeless. At its base is the inscription: “And still there is no room at the inn.”

Supported by donations from artists including cartoonist Garry Trudeau and sculptor Claes Oldenburg, the sculpture was created by James Earl Reid of Baltimore.