Carlsbad
A citizens arts committee appointed by the Carlsbad City Council to recommend a memorial to Vietnam veterans decided Thursday to stick to its original decision and endorse a 12-foot-high sculpture depicting a fallen soldier atop a simple rectangular pedestal, despite generally negative reaction to it after a public showing.
The proposed sculpture would be a copy of one on display in Denver and another to be installed on the campus of Fordham University in New York, created by artist A. Thomas Schomberg.
A scale model of the sculpture was on display at the city’s library. Of 274 comments received specifically on it and the concept of a Vietnam memorial in general, 212 were negative, city officials said.
Nonetheless, “I think the piece deserves a full hearing before the City Council,” said Tom Erwin, who sided with the majority in a 9-2 arts committee vote to put the issue before the City Council for a final decision.
The council is expected to discuss the monument in October.
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