PORT TOWNSEND — A plan to place an 8-foot-tall bronze sculpture in the downtown area will proceed, following approval by the City Council on Monday night.
Gerard Tsutakawa’s “Salish Sea Circle,” the top choice of six finalists, passed on a 4-1 vote of the council after a lengthy discussion about the art selection process.
One dissenting vote
Along with Mayor Michelle Sandoval, council members George Randals, Laurie Medlicott, David King and Mark Welch supported the sculpture.
Council member Kris Nelson was opposed, and Catharine Robinson was absent.
Nelson said she liked the sculpture but felt that it does not reflect Port Townsend.
“I was hoping we would pick something that was more like us,” she said.
Sandoval countered: “With art, it is very hard to determine exactly what ‘us’ is.”
Nelson took issue with the process, saying it was flawed and noninclusive.
Sandoval said she thought the process was done to the letter, and if the art was rejected, then the process would need to be redefined.
Not local artist
“There have been a lot of complaints about the fact that we did not employ a local artist,” she said.
“But local origin was not part of the original criteria.”
The sculpture is made of bronze panels that are welded together and treated to not sustain heat.
“A lot of art is out of people’s reach and discourages touch,” Tsutakawa said.
“I think art needs to be touched, and expect that a lot of people will crawl through the aperture of this piece.”
“Bronze is a wonderful material, and it will be a good neighbor,” King said.
“And I love the idea that it doesn’t hold heat, speaking as someone who has burned himself on the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in [New York’s] Central Park.”
If tourists won’t be literally burned by the sculpture, the council was more concerned about becoming burned figuratively — a reaction to the unsuccessful “Tidal Clock” sculpture that is now scheduled for removal.
“The Tidal Clock had a good process, a thoughtful process,” Welch said of the decision-making 25 years ago.
“It went wrong because what was promised was not delivered. What was designed was not built.”
Advocates speak
During the meeting, several council members referred to a large number of dissenting voices about the choice, with Nelson citing this as the basis for her opposition.
Nevertheless, all but one of those addressing the council during its comment section supported the project.
“My concern is that we have a history of bad decisions when it comes to art in this town,” Kathleen Jackson of Port Townsend said.
“The art is very handsome, but I would like to see something more representative.”
In this vein, Nelson said “it would be nice to have a sculpture where the public doesn’t have to come up to the inscription on the bottom to know what it is.”
But the presence of the scale model, which sat on the dais next to Sandoval, allayed some of the fears.
“I’m glad that I got the opportunity to touch this,” she said.
“It is far more appealing as a model than it was in the drawings.”
Public artist
Tsutakawa, 62, has spent 40 years creating public art, half of that time as an apprentice to his father, George.
His first solo effort was the Children’s Play Sculpture in the International District in Seattle in 1978, and his best known piece is “The Mitt” outside of Safeco Field, installed in 1999.
“That has held up very well,” he said of the mitt.
“I will need to visit the sculpture next week for its annual polish.”
“I wish that I did not have to make this decision,” Medlicott said before voting in favor.
“I must respect the people who made the recommendation about accepting the piece, but I also must respect all the people who contacted me with their opinions.
“I want the public to know that I will make my decision with a lot of thought.”
The sculpture will cost $70,000, an amount some people find hard to accept considering prevailing economic conditions.
Medlicott said a recession is the best time to invest in public art since it raises community spirit.
“This is a bad economy, and people are concerned about where the money goes,” Tsutakawa said.
“This is an investment, but is not a one-shot deal.
“It will be here for a long time and will draw a lot of people to the town,” he said.
Tsutakawa said it would take few months to finish the details on the contract, but he could complete the piece within four months once it is signed.
“It would be nice to do this at the end of the summer,” he said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
