LA CROSSE, Wis. -- A nine-foot tall statue of a blue baby hatching from a giant egg has been gifted to the City of La Crosse, but nobody's quite sure where to put it.

"Hatched Baby" is the work of German artist Wolfgang Auer, who lives in La Crosse's sister city of Friedberg. His Blue Babies project has been on display all over Europe.

"All of the babies have the same distinct blue skin, wide curious eyes, fully-grown teeth, and monumental size, which give the sculptures of infants a physical and emotional power rarely afforded to small children," an explanation on the city's website says.

Arrangements were already made to transport the statue to Wisconsin, meaning the only costs to the city would be "appropriate installation, maintenance, and possibly an explanatory plaque," according to a letter written by County Board Supervisor and Chair of the La Crosse Arts Board Doug Weidnebach.

The only problem? The city has yet to find a solution as to where to place the obviously eye-catching work.

Steven Carlyon, Director of the city's Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry, told TODAY'S TMJ4 the Parks Board has some concerns about the appropriateness of the statue being placed at a park with a playground, or other areas where children may gather.

Weidenbach, however, argues "Hatched Baby" would benefit La Crosse.

"The Arts Board thinks this original, creative, and challenging work would be a good artistic asset to our city," he said in his letter.

The statue did not go unnoticed in its old home of Hamilton, Ohio, either. Carlyon says city council members received calls both praising and panning the statue, another factor to weigh as the decision process moves forward.

The next steps are now in the city's Art Board's hands, Carlyon says. One potential solution is to add the statue to "The Pump House" - a non-profit in La Crosse that offers "a wide range of visual and performing arts opportunities." A private location like The Pump House wouldn't need further city approval to house the artwork, either.

No matter where "Hatched Baby" goes, Carlyon believes the statue has a story to tell about children and hope, and says the context around it will be paramount.

"We've gotta put something out there that tells people what this is," he said. "So they just don't walk up on it and go 'what is that?"

As to what exactly "Hatched Baby" represents? Like most art, that may be up to the viewer. The work's explanation on the city's website puts it this way:

"The artist credits his daughter as his inspiration to alter the subject matter and style of his creations: the pieces created after his daughter's birth are modeled after her and have to do with the anxieties that Auer associated with parenthood.

Some have suggested that Auer's Blue Babies are a continuation of the visual tradition of children symbolizing hope, love, new life, innocence, and purity."

Associate City Planner Lewis Kuhlman tells TODAY'S TMJ4 "Hatched Baby" will call La Crosse home 'indefinitely,' until the artist has enough funds to fly it back to Germany.