About 10 years ago, Santa Cruz City Council passed an ordinance that said 2 percent of the cost of every public project be set aside for public art projects. According to the ordinance, the money cannot be transferred to the general fund, so the council has decided to go ahead with two large public arts programs. Rhode Island artist Brower Hatcher will receive $200,000 to create sculptures for two new roundabouts, planned but not yet built, for the intersections in front of the Municipal Wharf and Depot Park.
Hatcher was selected from among 116 artists vying for the commission. City Arts Program Manager Crystal Birns described the installations as stainless steel representations of sea anemones and jellyfish, reflecting the city’s connection with the sea and its commitment to water conservation. Defending the decision to pick a Rhode Island artist, as opposed to a local artist, Birns said that only Hatcher could meet the “intense logistics” of the project. In fact, Hatcher was the unanimous choice of the committee that selected the artist.
Considering the city’s budget woes, Mayor Mike Rotkin explained that the money is earmarked, and that it would be “illegal” to transfer the $200,000 to the local police or fire departments, both of which face severe budgetary restraints. The roundabouts themselves are being paid for by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Read More at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
