Public Art

Ancient History Comes to the Waterfront as the Port Installs the Public Artwork “Penelope”

melicone@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:03:52 +0000

A new artwork depicting one of the most revered women in Greek mythology will be installed on the waterfront at the former Harbor Seafood Mart, just north of Seaport Village. “Penelope,” a six-foot tall woven bronze sculpture by Fallbrook artist Michael Stutz, will be installed on the public promenade, adjacent to the Port’s Embarcadero Planning Center at 585 Harbor Lane in San Diego (map). The installation will begin at approximately 7 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

The six-foot tall sculpture depicts Penelope’s face and flowing hair. Stutz created the artwork using welded bronze strips, with a woven pattern that he associates with muscles and nerves and their potential for movement and feeling.

The woven pattern also recalls the story of Penelope. She was the wife of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, in the ancient epic Greek poem, “The Odyssey.” Odysseus is also referred to as Ulysses in Roman history. According to the story, while Odysseus was off fighting the 10-year Trojan War, Penelope remained at home, fighting off suitors. Everyone assumed her husband had been killed in the war.

One of the tricks that Penelope devised to keep the men away was to pretend to be weaving a burial shroud for Odysseus’s elderly father. She claimed that once she completed the shroud, she would choose a suitor. Every night she undid the weaving so that it would be impossible to finish.

“Penelope” will be bolted to a steel-reinforced concrete plinth with a cast wood-grain texture. The plinth features an inscription that explains the meaning of the sculpture. It reads: “Weaving by day, Penelope would be forced to choose a new husband when her tapestry was complete. But all the while she waited, unraveling her work by night, steadfastly sure of Ulysses’ return.”

Approved by the Port’s public art committee in May, 2007, “Penelope” was approved by the Board of Port Commissioners in January 2008. The overall cost of the artwork was approximately $69,000.

The Port has plans to develop a new park, Ruocco Park, at the site where “Penelope” will be installed. The anticipated construction date will be in late 2010. At that time, the artwork will be sited at another, to be determined location.

Tour Greatest Generation Collection Memorial Day Weekend

bmoreno@portofsandiego.org (Barbara Moreno) — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:44:05 +0000

With the Memorial Day Weekend approaching, the Port of San Diego is inviting the public to honor our nation’s heroes with a free walking tour of the Greatest Generation Collection (map) in Tuna Harbor Park, on the shore of San Diego Bay. Located in the shadow of the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Midway Museum, the collection includes memorials, sculptures and plaques dedicated to the veterans’ service and sacrifices, as well as providing a magnificent setting in which to learn, remember and become inspired. The works of art are the product of generous donations and partnerships with the Port of San Diego Public Art program.

In 1998 Tom Brokaw, the veteran NBC Nightly News anchor, authored the best-selling book, “The Greatest Generation,” which told of the generation of Americans who grew during the Great Depression, went on to fight in World War II and later helped build shape the post-war America we know today.

Collection highlights include a National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military, made up of 16 bronze sculptures designed to represent one of the famous actor’s typical road shows. Hope’s first military tour took place in World War II and his final show took place during the 1990 Persian Gulf War. The inspiration and planning for these works were a Navy veteran’s group known as Task Unit 77.4.3/Taffy 3.

There’s also the Aircraft Carrier Memorial, in which a nine-foot polished, black granite obelisk stands as the centerpiece. The memorial includes the engraved names of all 164 carriers, from the pioneering USS Langley (CV-1) to USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Artworks also pay tribute to the Tuna Fleet Service and honor those who survived Pearl Harbor.

"The Port of San Diego is proud to have this memorial along the waterfront to honor those who served our country," said Chairman Stephen Cushman. "Memorial Day is the perfect opportunity for the public to get out on the Big Bay and see the Greatest Generation Collection."

Enjoy the collection and join the Port in saluting the Greatest Generation. Please print out this Walking Tour Guide to assist you in learning more about these great artworks. In addition, be sure to visit the USS Midway during Legacy Week, from May 23 to May 29, consisting of events to salute to the military, veterans and the 40th anniversary of Top Gun Fighter Weapons School.

Learn about the Port's Urban Trees via Your Phone

clucke@portofsandiego.org (CJ Lucke) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:52:39 +0000

OMG, text messaging has come to the Port. This new form of Port communication was unveiled when the Public Art department rolled out its fifth installment of Urban Trees. Text messaging, or texting, is sending out "short" text messages from mobile phones using the Short Message Service (SMS). It is available on most digital mobile phones. On each of the 31 Urban Tree sculptures is a title plaque that credits the artist and Port for the exhibit. Also included is the short code 69944. By typing, or texting, a unique code assigned to each tree, text users can receive additional information about the artwork.

To see how text messaging works with the Port's Urban Tree exhibit, send a text message on your cell phone to 69944. In the body of the message, type "TREE01" and you will receive a reply with information about the tree titled "Ramble On." For more information on other trees, just swap out "01" for another number, up to 31. Standard text rates apply.

“Cool Globes” Roll into Embarcadero Marina Park North with Messages of Environmental Awareness

melicone@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:26:10 +0000

An artistic take on saving the planet debuts at the Port of San Diego's Embarcadero Marina Park North in December. "Cool Globes - Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet," is an exhibit of 42 artist-designed fiberglass globes, each one is five feet in diameter and stands 7 1/2 feet tall. The globes depict solutions to environmental issues as portrayed by local, national and international artists.

Sponsored by Chicago-based Cool Globes, Inc., with local support provided by the Sempra Energy Foundation, the exhibit was created to embrace energy conservation and help combat climate change.

The globes will be on display on the pedestrian walkway in Seaport Village and Embarcadero Marina Park North from December 1, 2008 through March 15, 2009.

Local artist Michelle Bassler designed the globe "Cool Careers," which features several disciplines in the science field. From zoology to atmospheric chemistry, her globe introduces children to the creative and collaborative world of science. The environmental artist Wyland, also a San Diegan and famous for his nature scenes of ocean life created the globe "Hands Across the Ocean." His sculpture inspires us to take a global view of the oceans, lakes, rivers, estuaries and wetlands.

Other stand-outs include "Plastics, Metals and Cell phones - Oh My!" by Faheem Majeed and the Gary Comer Youth Center. This colorful globe has dozens of cell phones and recyclable items attached. A thought-provoking globe by artist Nancy Steinmeyer called "First we Scream, then we Act" has a reproduction of Edward Munch's famous painting, "The Scream" emblazoned on it. It depicts the planet calling out for help.

The globes were previously on display in San Diego's Balboa Park, where they drew large crowds of both children and adults. After they leave Embarcadero Marina Park North, the exhibit will be on display in Los Angeles before it heads to London in 2009.

Cool Globes was launched in Chicago in 2006 by environmental activist Wendy Abrams. The original project consisted of over 120 sculpted globes that were displayed along Chicago's lakefront.

“The Spirit of Imperial Beach” 18-foot-tall Sculpture to be Installed Tomorrow

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:00:27 +0000

An 18-foot-tall sculpture that depicts the surf culture of the City of Imperial Beach will be installed on Tuesday, November 25. "The Spirit of Imperial Beach," created by the late A. Wasil, was designed to honor the birthplace of surfing and the lifeguards who protect and serve.

Sculpted in cast bronze, "The Spirit of Imperial Beach" features a seven-foot-tall surfer and his long board. It also includes two children building a sand castle, reminiscent of the popular "Sand Castle Days" event held on the beach each summer. It will be installed near the ocean at the newly created Palm Avenue street end plaza, a $2.8 million public works project sponsored by the Port of San Diego, the City of Imperial Beach and the State Water Resources Control Board.

The sculpture will be arriving by truck from the Artworks Foundry in Berkeley, California sometime tomorrow morning. Once offloaded, it will be set into its foundation and anchored with steel bolts to its location at the Palm Avenue street end. It will be dedicated in a public ceremony on January 3, 2009.

A. Wasil was a resident of Coronado and a graduate of San Diego State University. He received a Bachelor of Arts from SDSU in 1978 and later earned a Masters Degree in sculpting. He taught art at both SDSU and San Diego City College. Examples of his talent are found throughout the world. At the Vatican in Italy, a bust of Jesus Christ that he created is part of the collection of the late Pope John Paul II. He also designed a sculpture for the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Another of his artworks graces the campus of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Closer to home, he created cast bronze figures as part of the Stations of the Cross at Mission San Louis Rey in Oceanside. The financial symbols of the bull and bear that can be seen in La Jolla's business district were also sculpted by him. Probably his most well known local artwork is that of the late Jack Murphy, which is installed at Qualcomm Stadium.

International Artist Bernar Venet’s Sculpture Exhibit a Public Affair

clucke@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:00:00 +0000

‘Waterfront Steel: The Tidelands Sculpture Exhibition' - a collection of eight large-scale steel sculptures by celebrated conceptual artist Bernar Venet - is being installed at locations around San Diego Bay. The exhibition is presented by the Port of San Diego in partnership with Scott White Contemporary Art.

Venet sculptures have been exhibited around the world in major cities in the United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East and South America. The sculptures will be on loan to the Port of San Diego for one year from November 2008 to October 2009.

"This is San Diego's first large scale exhibition of outdoor sculptures by one artist," said Port Commissioner Mike Najera, chairman of the Port of San Diego Public Art Committee. "Featuring the works of one of the most influential living sculptors of our time furthers the program's objectives to promote understanding of the role of public art in enhancing the community's identity and providing a desirable destination that attracts visitors to businesses along San Diego Bay."

The installation of all eight planned sculptures will be complete by November 2008, and can be viewed at the following locations along San Diego Bay:

Twelve Straight Lines" and "Random Combination of Indeterminate Lines" - Harbor Island
"Arcs in Disorder: 5 Arcs x 5" - Laurel Street and Harbor Drive traffic triangle
"Four Indeterminate Lines" and "220.5° Arc x 15" - Embarcadero Marina Park North
"97.5° Arc x 9" and 221.5° Arc x 28 - Embarcadero Marina Park South
"Three Indeterminate Lines" - Harbor Drive, in front of the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina

Another first is the teaming up of the Port of San Diego with the San Diego Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Omni Hotel and San Diego International Airport to provide an exciting program for the community.

Venet was born in the Alpes de Haute Provence in 1941. Although his primary medium for art is sculpture, Venet has experience in many other forms of art. After moving to New York in 1966, he developed a body of work that was greatly influenced by mathematicians and theoretical scientists of the era.

The Port's Public Art Program was created in 1996 to promote a healthy, vibrant atmosphere that contributes to the quality and identity of the region. The Port enacted the first "percent for art" program in San Diego County and now dedicates a percentage of its projected revenues each year toward a public art fund that is used for the acquisition and maintenance of public artworks on Port tidelands. For more information on the Bernar Venet exhibit or to find out about upcoming public art events, please visit the Public Art section or call (619) 686-6200.

Three Artists Teams Selected as Finalists for San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge Artistic Lighting Project

mpanes@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:51:54 +0000

The selection panel for the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge Lighting project has recommended three teams as finalists to design a signature artwork on San Diego Bay. The three teams are the Bideau Company of Ballan-Mire, France; the Peter Fink team of London, UK; and the team of Ned Kahn/ Patrick McInerney Associates/ Jason Edling of California. Two alternate teams were selected. These are Leni Schwendinger of New York City, and Grenald Waldron & Associates with Ray King of Narberth, Pennsylvania.

This phase of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge Lighting project is sponsored by the Port of San Diego and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The overall intent of the project is to create an artistic lighting design to illuminate the bridge which connects Coronado and San Diego. The project is geared to be a green project with energy-conserving elements and sustainable materials.

A Call for Artists to submit proposals was issued in April and the deadline to participate was June 6, 2008. The selection panel who recommended the three teams and two alternates consists of architects, arts and lighting professionals, and green energy experts.

The Bideau Company, led by Bertrand Chiron, has worked throughout Europe and has designed lighting elements for theatres and cathedrals in Arras, France. Other lighting projects from this team include the City Hall and park of St. Cyr sur Loire, France; the concert hall in Tours, France; the botanical garden of Tours, the San Telmo Palace in Sevilla, Spain and the Waddesdon Manor in Great Britain.

The Peter Fink team is based in London and has created lighting projects for the Burj Al Arab Tower in Dubai; the Zollverein Kokerei Steelworks building, which is considered an industrial landmark, in Essen, Germany and the Canary Wharf Tower in London. The tower is seen on television world-wide on New Year's Eve as hundreds of thousands of people witness the digital countdown to the New Year on its western face.

The design team of Ned Kahn/ Patrick McInerney Associates/ Jason Edling have individually been responsible for projects on the Ushibuka Bridge in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan; the De Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and the Pittsburgh Children's Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Design teams will be paid a stipend of $15,000 to cover design fees, research, accommodations and travel during public presentations at the end of the year. The entire project is anticipated to cost between $2 million to $3 million for design, fabrication and installation. The project will be funded by private funding and/or grants.

Urban Trees 5 Unveiled

gbatuyon@portofsandiego.org (Glenn Batuyong) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000

The 31 artworks were officially dedicated and unveiled on August 2. The Marketing, Public Art and General Services departments worked together to facilitate the event. In attendance were the artists, their guests, Port employees and Saturday morning visitors to the waterfront.

Before the unveiling of all the trees, an artist reception took place in front of the cruise ship terminal. Commissioner Mike Najera and Public Art Director Catherine Sass addressed the crowd and recognized the artists for their work.

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New Season of Urban Trees Coming Soon to the North Embarcadero

melicone@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:49:36 +0000

The Port of San Diego’s year-long public art exhibit, Urban Trees 4, is coming to an end on June 22. The trees are being removed to make way for the Urban Trees 5 exhibit, set to be dedicated on August 2, 2008.

Positioned along the North Embarcadero of San Diego Bay from Broadway to Laurel Street, the 30 tree sculptures have piqued the interest of both tourists and locals. There are sleek metal trees, such as “Slice,” the stainless steel and copper creation by Linda Joanou, and a bronze and steel design by artist Alber De Matteis titled “Ascent.”

Other trees promote environmental sustainability, like Nicole David’s recycled rubber palm tree titled, “RT-6A89,” and many others celebrate ocean wildlife.

To create the Urban Trees, artists were supplied with a 12-foot tall pole placed in a concrete planter to serve as the tree’s base. The artists were allowed to alter the pole by attaching materials that would create their sculptures. A loan fee was paid to each artist for the Port to install the trees on the waterfront for a period of one year. The artwork remains the property of the artist.

Many of the sculptures from Urban Trees 4 are available for purchase from the artists. Prices range from $5,500 to $60,000. They are also available on an on-loan basis for display in public, corporate or private collections or settings. For more information, contact the Port’s Public Art Department at (619) 686-7246.

Ten urban trees from the previous three Urban Trees exhibits have been purchased and donated to the sculpture gardens at Scripps Memorial Hospitals in La Jolla and Encinitas.

“Thanks to the generosity of our donors and staff, we are able to offer a beautiful, healing environment during what often times can be a stressful experience for our patients and families,” said Gary Fybel, Chief Executive Officer for Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.

Other urban trees have found new locations. One is installed at the Chula Vista Library Civic Center Branch, 365 F Street, another is located at the Chula Vista Nature Center and several have been purchased for installment at private homes.

The fifth edition of urban trees will feature 31 sculptures. Some of the standouts include “Break-dancer” by artist Michael L. Barrows. His artwork personifies a dancer memorializing the 80s urban craze of break dancing. “Tailwalking Suncatcher” by artist Stephen Fairfield is a 17-foot tall sailfish made of steel with blue plexiglass scales that catch the reflection of the sun. Frank Mando’s sculpture, titled “Pele, the Goddess of Fire,” is another unique urban tree. This 15-foot tall, cast aluminum and steel representation of the mythological fire goddess will be sure to catch the eye of passers by.

For more information on Urban Trees, visit www.portofsandiego.org/public-art.

The Port’s Public Art Program was created in 1996 to promote a healthy, vibrant atmosphere that contributes to the quality and identity of the region. The Port enacted the first “percent for art” program in San Diego County and now dedicates one half of one percent of its projected revenues each year toward a public art fund that is used for the acquisition and maintenance of public artworks on Port tidelands.

Signature Art Subcommittee Meeting June 10th

clucke@portofsandiego.org (CJ Lucke) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:32:39 +0000

The Signature Art Subcommittee of the Public Art Committee will meet on June 10, 2008 at 4:30 pm in the Public Art Conference Room at the Don L. Nay Port Administration Building. The public is invited to attend. The agenda is posted under the Public Art Committee page.