Port District Buys Time on Embarcadero Sculptures

After two hours of passionate debate, San Diego port commissioners decided Tuesday that, when it comes to public art, they still don’t know what they like.

So instead of approving or rejecting Ellsworth Kelly’s proposed abstract sculptures for the twin peninsulas of Embarcadero Park near Navy Field, the commissioners unanimously voted to delay their decision on the project--estimated to cost $450,000--for 90 days. They’ll confer again with their five-member arts advisory committee--an expert panel that had selected the Kelly design from hundreds of possibilities--and may consider alternative sites and artworks for the project.

Kelly, 62, a New York-based master of Minimal art and an internationally renowned painter and sculptor, has designed a two-element work for the Embarcadero site. On one peninsula, a monolith of stainless steel would tower about 70 feet, subtly widening from a narrow base; on the other peninsula would be a 32-foot, prow-like arc of concrete.

It would be Kelly’s largest work to date, and the first to include

both the vertical and horizontal elements that have become his signature motifs. Kelly has already been awarded $15,000 for his design proposal.

Members of the San Diego Unified Port District’s arts advisory board were stunned and a little discouraged by the commissioners’ decision to delay. Arts board chairman Gerald Hirshberg noted that, if approved, the sculptures would have been up some time this year.

“But,” he said, “there’s no turning back from this point. I don’t think it’s feasible to rethink the site. This piece and its site are a marriage, and I think both are still very much in the running (for approval). We’ll just have to sit down as a board and see specifically what (the commissioners) need to make their decision.”

Before the vote, port commissioners listened to a succession of pro and con remarks about the Kelly work from arts advisory board members and concerned citizens. Opinions were diverse and emotions ran high. Some citizens criticized the sculptures as too large and disruptive of the harbor view; others thought the artwork too small and destined to be lost in the downtown skyline. Others lamented its non-realistic style. Still others criticized the arts advisory committee for failing to present the port commissioners with a choice of artworks.

“To me, the vertical part of this sculpture is like a spike driven into the heart of open space,” said Joe Olson of Solana Beach. “And the arc looks like Pac-Man looking for something to gobble up. It’ll clutter the views on either side of the harbor.”

But Faiya Fredman, a Del Mar-based artist, likened the work to the Washington Monument. “I see the same majesty in this piece,” she said. “It will be an inspiration to us.”

San Diego Museum of Art Director Steven Brezzo noted that many now-popular works of public art --from the Sistine Chapel ceiling to the Eiffel Tower to the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial--were initially controversial and scorned but have stood the test of time.

“The issue here is not one of popularity or individual taste,” Hirshberg stated. “It’s incumbent upon us to find a significant site and a great artist, and so we shot for the highest common denominator in an area (public art) where we are behind other cities.”

Hirshberg noted that virtually every major arts organization in San Diego--including the city’s Public Arts Advisory Board and the Combined Organization of Visual Artists, which initially had opposed the Kelly selection--has now voiced support for the work.

“This is not an attempt to create this city’s logo, or image, but to reflect an aspect of San Diego we consider appropriate,” Hirshberg said. “This artwork is simple, soaring, to me, uplifting. More important than the pros and cons of it is all the ferment it has caused. I’m heartened to see that people care about public art.”

Port Commissioner Lou Wolfsheimer urged approval of the work and downplayed its ultimate importance. “This is not the last piece of art we’ll commission, nor the most prominent site,” he pointed out. “It’s definitely not the most peopled area, with none of the public exposure that other areas have.”

Port Commission Chairman William Rick concurred. “We have no business except to accept the advice of our (arts advisory committee) unless some catastrophe tells us not to,” he said. “(Kelly) is one of the most esteemed artists in the U.S.”

But Commissioner Ben Cohen expressed doubts that it was the right artwork for the site, and Commissioner Phil Creasen moved for the 90-day delay.

“The emotions expressed today are not going to sit still,” Hirshberg said. “The floodgates are open.”