Art Plan Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Public art hasn’t been the forte of the San Diego Unified Port District to date. Again and again, the commission has failed to agree on works that both make an aesthetic statement and are politically palatable.

But perhaps Board of Port Commissioners Chairman Louis Wolfsheimer has now come up with a more solid idea.

Wolfsheimer has suggested buying one of the huge rocks that were ground into the hull of the Exxon Valdez when the tanker ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound.

The rocks would be displayed as an environmental monument--a reminder of the country’s worst marine oil spill.

The idea tickles our fancy. And it has a certain local relevance. The Exxon Valdez was built here and is back at Nassco for repairs. What’s more, if the U.S. Department of Interior gets its way on offshore drilling, San Diego might need to raise its oil-spill IQ, and such a stark reminder could help.

But Exxon Shipping Co. doesn’t seem to share Wolfsheimer’s taste in art. Or his wish for this kind of a reminder.

The company said it plans to keep the Volkswagen-size rocks under lock and key in case they are needed in what’s sure to be lengthy litigation. But we wonder if that isn’t specious, since the question is not whether the Valdez hit the rocks but rather why, and who’s to blame.

Maybe the way around Exxon, if the Port District commissioners buy Wolfsheimer’s idea, is to approach the state of Alaska, which is likely the logical owner. “Maybe (Exxon) scraped (the rock) up, but it’s not theirs,” Alaska’s deputy attorney general said when told about the proposal.

But, if Alaska tried to get the rocks back, then they would likely be tied up in court. And, when you’re talking about 6-ton or 10-ton rocks, possession is surely nine-tenths of the law.

So it doesn’t look like Wolfsheimer’s idea will come to fruition anytime soon. Too bad. It’s surely more inspired than a bronze casting of Charles Lindbergh.