The sculpture is located at Atlantic Avenue and 45th Way
BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer
About two weeks ago, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA) had a sculpture installed on the median of 45th Way and Atlantic Avenue. Known as “Orange Twist” and created by nationally acclaimed sculptor Kathleen Caricof, the sculpture and its installation cost the agency $104,000.
Crews delivered the 12-feet-long and nine-feet-wide sculpture and its large granite base to the site near Scherer Park in two trailers. Attaching it to its base and fastening it securely to the ground took several hours and required the use of a crane. The Orange Twist is made of AerBlock, a stone-like manmade material.
Caricof’s sculptures are on display in public places throughout several states, and several of her works can be seen in other California cities, including Cerritos and Burbank.
The RDA has been funding public art displays in its redevelopment project areas for more than 20 years. According to Victoria Ballesteros, communications officer for the city’s department of development services, in 2008, the RDA spent $288,723 on public art in various locations throughout Long Beach.
The “Orange Twist,” which is in the RDA’s north redevelopment project area, was funded by money from the agency’s 2007 budget. Ballesteros said she believes the contract with Caricof was signed in 2007.
Ballesteros noted that the RDA’s public art projects have, for the most part, been very well received by the city’s residents and business owners. She said one of the most popular was the Phantom Gallery project, which was initiated in the downtown area several years ago. “We basically put art exhibits in vacant store fronts to beautify the corridor,” she said. “We put a temporary public art use in them while they sit vacant.” She added that the Phantom Gallery displays were so popular that now the RDA wants to expand it to vacant storefronts in all of its project areas including north Long Beach.
“We are now in the process of getting requests for qualifications from various artists and have not selected specific buildings for those displays yet,” she added.
Ballesteros also described an RDA-funded mural project in the downtown project area. “We contracted with some local artists and students to create a mural around the construction site of the $94 million Lyon West Gateway development,” she said. “It’s a very large, very beautiful, very visible mural.” She added that having a temporary mural, rather than plain panels enhances the aesthetics of the downtown area even while construction is underway.
“We have another huge project coming up that is called ‘The X Marks the Spot’,” Ballesteros added. “It’s an RDA-funded public art project in collaboration with Arts Council for Long Beach and CSULB. The installation will go at the corner of Ocean and Alamitos, in the Central Redevelopment Project Area.”
She explained that the huge “X” will be made out of two cargo containers welded together to form the letter, which will be in an upright position. The unusual sculpture will remain on the site until the construction of condominiums begins at that location.
Ballesteros noted that the RDA currently has about 10 more public art projects in the works, but not all of them will be completed in 2009. “Not all of the RDA’s art projects are big, highly visible displays,” she added. “Sometimes they are just little things that beautify a community.”
Ballesteros acknowledged that some people question the wisdom of spending money on public art projects, especially in these tough economic times when cities are struggling to maintain essential services and meet other important needs. But she insisted that public art enhances the quality of life of any community. “The agency has a long history of being committed to supporting public art,” she said. “We feel that it helps beautify a community and helps build a sense of civic pride. It’s just one of the tools that we use to revitalize a neighborhood.”
The “Orange Twist” sculpture is located in the city’s 8th City Council District. Rae Gabelich, councilwoman for that district, said it was important for people to realize that the RDA’s budget does not come from the city’s General Fund, and the city council does not have direct control over how the agency spends its money.
Gabelich acknowledged that art does positively impact a community, but if it had been up to her, she would have chosen another location for the Orange Twist. “I love the piece, it’s beautiful, but I hate the color,” she said. “It’s there and it’s next to impossible to move so I guess we will learn to live with it.”
Gabelich added that public art is good for a business district. “It absolutely sends a message to retail folks that the community is working to improve itself, and that tends to attract more businesses to the area,” she said. “It also sends a message to the residents that we are working to enhance the image of all of Long Beach, not just the downtown.”
