A giant New Jersey sand sculpture appeared on Tuesday on a Seaside Heights beach, poking fun at the the governor being spotted lounging on a beach following his order for a government shutdown of state beaches.
The artists behind this piece of work, known only as Tom and Larry, reportedly spent four hours on the sculpture, noted NBC New York.
Although the sculpture was later destroyed and replaced by a smiling face, images of the art went viral on social media.
While the humorous sculpture succeeded in entertaining the public, it also highlighted an issue that caused much public outrage.
Christie called for a three-day government shutdown that affected state parks, beaches and other essential services in response to the state's budgetary stalemate. However, the governor sparked controversy after he and his family were spotted soaking up the rays on one of the closed beaches outside his summer house.
NJ Advance Media photographer, Andrew Mills, managed to snap images of the governor on the beach.
Christie later responded to criticism surrounding the incident, saying the beach house was not part of the state park.
"That’s just the way it goes. Run for governor, and you can have the residence," he said, according to NBC New York.
Meanwhile, Christie signed the $34.7 billion budget and all state beaches and parks were re-opened. Other government services were returned to normal by Wednesday.
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