Associated Press

Scaffolding surrounds the statue of Christopher Columbus, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012 in New York's Columbus circle. Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi is constructing “Discovering Columbus,” a contemporary living room around a statue of Columbus as a way to intimately engage the public with the iconic figure which looms six stories above a busy intersection of mid-Manhattan. But some Italian-Americans say the art project makes a mockery of the great explorer and trivializes history. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)