Six Sculptures to Become Public Art

Six new sculptures approved by City Council will be installed as public art next month. Council's approval comes on the heels of the Cultural Arts Commission’s recommendation.

As a backdrop for the city’s centennial in 2012, artists were asked to express their vision of what makes Manhattan Beach special. The approved pieces are Moriah, Spirit of the Wind by Frank Mandol, Believe, Green by Jason Manley, Not a Step by Christian Tedeschi, The Tree Hugger and Tropic Birds both by Steven L. Rieman, and Celestial Sailor by Amos Robinson.

Funding for the rotating exhibit, which began in 2009, comes from the Public Art Trust, which is funded by a fee of one percent of the costs of new commercial development or housing of more than four units within the city. The six sculptures for 2011-2012 will cost $15,000 with each artist receiving a stipend of $2,500. The city Public Works department will install the art at a projected cost of $3,700, according to the staff report. Those funds come from the city's General Fund.

The art is installed at three sites: the Civic Center, Veterans Memorial Parkway and Metlox Plaza. 

Council members expressed differences of opinion on a couple of pieces. Councilwoman Amy Howorth said that as long as she didn't find any piece objectionable, she would bow to the opinion of the Cultural Arts Commission. “Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder," she said.

Discussion included location and liability, which will be addressed before installation begins. Believe, Green is to be lit, and so the question of what hours it will be lit so that it isn't an irritant to neighbors will be addressed before it is installed. Not a Step, is a ladder, and because it could be an attractive nuisance to children, its location will need to be one that would not lead to a potential liability.