‘We Wanted to Give Brea Some Distinctive Quality’ : A City Shapes Its Image in Sculptured Artworks

Brea may not be New York, Chicago or San Francisco. But in at least one way, Brea shares their conviction that a city is reflected in its art.

While its more cosmopolitan counterparts have commissioned grandiose works by such well-known artists as Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson and Henry Moore to grace their parks and plazas, those cities also can more easily afford the high costs of the artworks.

In a much smaller way, Brea has its own “Art in Public Places” program, which is celebrating its 10th year.

Although their creators were not international figures, the 55 sculptures that have been placed around the city since the program began in 1975 have brought the city some critical acclaim, and all at no cost to taxpayers.

In 1975, when the city was fast developing, city staff members weighed how best they could give the city some identity, as other cities had accomplished with stylized street lights and signs, said former City Manager Wayne Wedin, who was one of those who put forward the idea of the public art policy to the City Council.

The council agreed with the idea, and instituted a policy requiring each developer of a commercial project to include a sculpture.

The artworks then would be reviewed by the council members and the newly formed Cultural Arts Commission before being put into place.

The purpose was to integrate art into everyday life, uplift spirits and give residents a sense of pride in their community, Wedin said.

“We wanted to give Brea some distinctive quality that would differentiate it from other cities in Southern California,” he said.

Brea’s policy was implemented at the same time the city was expanding with the new Brea Mall, the Brea Civic Cultural Center and various housing tracts in the foothills, “making it an opportune time to initiate the program,” said City Councilman Sam Cooper, who was on the council then.

Following Brea’s lead, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano recently adopted similar art policies.

The sculptures placed around Brea include the conventional and the unconventional, worth an estimated $275,000 in all. Several never stopped causing controversy.

Among the collection today are nine works by Harold Pastorius, including the 30-foot-tall, 4,500-pound sculpture entitled “Heat Exchanger,” which can’t be missed by drivers on Imperial Highway near the Union Oil plant.

The stainless steel sculpture is supposed to represent industrial structures in “a powerful and gleaming design,” says a city brochure.

Less obtrusive works include “Double Check,” a sculpture of a suited bronze businessman seated on a park bench in Birchbrook Executive Park, so lifelike it causes double-takes.

One of the most favorably received is the copper sculpture of an Olympic gymnast called “Kim,” done in commemoration of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

The graceful figure, which is reminiscent of many Renaissance statues, stands outside the Mercury Casualty Co.

This year, the council, in conjunction with proclaiming 1985 as the “Year of the Arts,” has updated the program and set more specific guidelines for city sculptures.

No more fountains or sculptures made of materials that will deteriorate or can be easily vandalized will be allowed, including pieces that are intended by the artist to rust.

Another new policy is to give developers the option of paying a fee comparable to the cost of a sculpture.

The money will be used to support cultural programs, said Bonnie Dwyre, a city spokeswoman.

The formula requires that builders of developments worth $500,000 or more buy a sculpture for 1% of that figure or pay the fee.