Sad End to a Bold Project

Artist Ellsworth Kelly’s decision not to complete the sculpture he designed for a waterfront site near the Hotel Inter-Continental represents a loss for San Diego in prestige and in cultural enrichment.

As purveyors of discussion and opinion, we cannot bemoan the fact that a controversy arose over the work Kelly designed for the San Diego Unified Port Commission. That’s the way it goes when public dollars and public land are involved. But it’s disappointing that the famed New York artist ultimately chose to say yes to his detractors rather than to those who supported and fought for his 68-foot stainless steel monolith and to the port commissioners who had the courage to vote for it.

Part of the job description of an artist is to see things differently from the rest of us. While adversity might start the competitive juices flowing in some, others, like Kelly, loathe seeing their work as the topic of controversy. Kelly is said to be an extremely sensitive person who now regrets having become involved in what would have been the most significant public art project to date in San Diego. So far, this sensitivity has not led him to return his $15,000 fee for designing the bayfront sculpture.

The Ellsworth Kelly chapter in San Diego’s public art story apparently is closed. But it should not deter other artists or those who make the decisions about public art from proceeding with bold projects in the future. Anyone who has been to cities such as Chicago, Baltimore or San Francisco knows how public art can add a sense of humanity to a city’s face. It’s an element that is unfortunately still largely missing in San Diego.