By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Coosje van Bruggen, who helped create the shuttlecocks that litter the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art's front lawn, has died at 66.

I never had a personal beef with van Bruggen or her fellow collaborator, husband Claes Oldenburg. Or with their idea of making oversized pieces of art based on simple things like clothespins.

But the shuttlecocks they created for the Nelson were simply a waste of space and money.

For years Museum Director Marc Wilson and others have talked about how the shuttlecocks made a "net" out of the museum, because there were two pieces of art south of the building and two to the north.

This claim never made much sense, except in a high-faluting, you-don't-understand-art sense.

And in recent years, with the addition of the Bloch Building, there's no "net" created by the main Nelson building. What? Is the Bloch Building an out-of-bounds marker?

Please.

I first wrote about the shuttlecocks in 1993 (full column reprinted below), which got me into trouble with Wilson and others at the Nelson. I even had an "Art 101" class at the Nelson with some museum officials about what made great art; I remember taking my then-2-year-old daughter to the private class.

Ultimately, of course, the shuttlecocks were built, they have become accepted by Kansas Citians, and they will be at the Nelson for many years to come.

(Here's the initial column I wrote on the subject in 1993.)

The idea to install 18-foot-tall badminton shuttlecock sculptures on the Nelson Gallery's south lawn has stalled. Mix political intrigue with decisions made by influential Kansas Citians and here is what you get.

Morton Sosland, the chairman of Sosland Publishing and the person who proposed commissioning the works by Claes Oldenburg, has tabled the project for now.

Sosland, who could not be reached for comment, reportedly is upset about negative reaction the sculptures have received, particularly in The Star.

That, in turn, is giving Nelson director Marc Wilson fits. In an interview, Wilson said getting the Oldenburg sculptures would be taking a giant step toward exposing Kansas Citians to works of modern art. Now he's worried that this kind of education will be stalled, as will the Nelson's planned move into buying much more modern sculpture.

Bill Hall, president of the Hall Family Foundations, said Tuesday that he hoped the purchase of the Oldenburgs would push other benefactors to step forward to bolster the Nelson's acquisitions. Now he's concerned that these people may be hesitant to pull out checkbooks if they are going to be subjected to public criticism for their purchases.

Naturally, there's a lot more going on behind the scenes here, which is to be expected when expensive art, powerful civic leaders and - oh, yes - public space are involved.

Don't forget that the Nelson trustees, nearby neighbors and even the Municipal Art Commission already had approved the idea of installing the sculptures before the general public, in early February, got a hint of what was going on.

Also don't forget that the front lawn of the Nelson is city property. The large expanse of green grass is flanked on the east and west by trees and Henry Moore sculptures on loan from the Hall Family Foundations. The lawn sweeps south from the gallery, leaps Brush Creek Boulevard, and continues into Theis Mall, all the way to Volker Boulevard.

This is where the Board of Parks and Recreation enters the picture.

President Ollie Gates said in an interview that the board has the final say on whether the shuttlecock display goes up.

"It's all park ground," he said.

Gates, who's not a booster of modern art, said he's willing to concede that the Oldenburg sculptures could be a good addition to the city. But, he noted, exactly where they go is the point of contention. Properly, Gates is concerned that the shuttlecocks would clutter the Nelson's front lawn.

Wilson is just as adamant that putting the Oldenburgs south of the gallery would enhance, not distract from, the open green space.

Wilson also stresses that the Nelson trustees have a powerful say in what happens on the lawn. Basically, Wilson contends, nothing happens to the lawn without approval from the trustees as well as the park board. There's even a segment of museum backers, he says, who say the trustees "solely" determine where the Nelson's acquisitions can be placed.

But he quickly adds - as does Gates - that everyone wants to cooperate in resolving this issue.

"We're not going to get into a big squabble," Wilson says.

To be truthful, of course, that's exactly what this has turned into. So what's going to happen now?

Supporters of the Nelson are involved in discussions about ways to enhance Theis Mall. This could include new sculptures, walking paths and plantings. Wouldn't this help the city, Gates and the park board revitalize the mall? And - just maybe - Gates and the board would look more favorably on installation of the Oldenburgs.

Bill Hall and Wilson are trying to convince skeptics that the shuttlecocks are serious pieces of art by a great modern artist. Leaders from the Rockhill neighborhood have endorsed the project, Wilson said. So has the Southmoreland neighborhood, Wilson said, even though he says it's not generally as cognizant about art as the Rockhill neighborhood is.

"Our board feels that this would be a delightful acquisition for you and would bring a smile to even the most grumpy of our Kansas Citians," Suzi Lockett, president of the Southmoreland Neighborhood Association, wrote in a letter to Wilson.

Will Sosland ignore critics and renew his effort to commission the Oldenburgs? Will someone else who really believes in the worth of the Oldenburg shuttlecocks step forward to push construction of the sculptures?

Of course, it's also possible that the Nelson can move ahead with its plans to buy more modern art - especially sculptures - even if the shuttlecocks project falls through.

The public has the right to have a say in what happens to the front lawn of the Nelson. Right now, the park board is the gatekeeper. The three members would be correct to be skeptical of this project, no matter how many of Kansas City's social leaders and arbiters of taste think it's a great idea.