By: Mario Mancini

A former CUNY adjunct who once held a machete to a reporter’s throat during a shocking outburst has been awarded a permanent, taxpayer-funded art installation in the Bronx — a decision raising eyebrows given her violent past, according to the NY Post.

Shellyne Rodriguez, 48, pleaded guilty in 2023 to menacing and harassment after confronting veteran NY Post reporter Reuven Fenton outside her Bronx apartment. Now, as the NY Post reported, the city has unveiled her 23-foot-tall sculpture, “Phoenix Ladder: Monument to the People of the Bronx,” funded with $407,000 through New York City’s Percent for Art program.

The installation, located along the Grand Concourse near Morris Avenue, was tied to a broader $62.5 million reconstruction project. Under the Percent for Art initiative, 1% of eligible city construction budgets is allocated for public artwork. Rodriguez reportedly received about $81,400 as her artist fee.

The monument, made of brick, steel and terracotta, includes imagery such as a phoenix symbolizing rebirth, multiple stylized eyes, raised fists associated with Black power and socialist themes, and the borough initials “B” and “X.” A black ladder rises from the top of the structure without a visible end. The piece is described as a tribute to the Bronx’s resilience following the destructive fires of the 1970s.

But the artist’s history continues to overshadow the project.

In May 2023, Rodriguez erupted when Fenton knocked on her door seeking comment regarding her earlier confrontation with pro-life students at Hunter College. According to the NY Post, she shouted threats from inside the apartment before emerging and placing a machete against the reporter’s neck. Video captured the encounter. Prosecutors said she also kicked Fenton and chased a photographer down the street.

Rodriguez later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor menacing and a harassment violation. As the NY Post reported, she avoided jail time under a deal requiring counseling and one year without further legal trouble. She was fired from Hunter College shortly after the incident and was later dismissed from a teaching role at Cooper Union following separate controversies.

Despite the widely publicized episode, the Department of Cultural Affairs did not halt the commission. The agency declined to comment to the NY Post on whether Rodriguez’s criminal case factored into its decision-making process. Officials stated that background checks are not part of the Percent for Art selection system but said standard procurement guidelines are followed when choosing artists.

Several Bronx residents voiced concern.

“Somebody with that kind of behavior — there had to be other artists,” one local told the NY Post, criticizing both the selection and the sculpture’s appearance. Others questioned whether public funds should support an artist whose conduct involved threatening a journalist with a weapon.

Adding to the criticism, visible cracks have already formed along the base of the structure only months after its unveiling. The Department of Cultural Affairs told the NY Post that weather-related wear is common and that inspections and maintenance typically occur after winter.