New Sculpture Boasts an Ocean of Security

The newest addition to the city’s acclaimed Art in Public Places program, a bronze sculpture titled “California Dream,” has been installed with extra security measures after last year’s thefts of two outdoor pieces.

The 8-foot sculpture, on permanent display at Central and Tamarack avenues, depicts California sea lions swimming through an ocean of kelp and marine life. The artist, Terry Thornsley, is a Laguna Beach sculptor who created a well-known Seal Beach landmark: the seal that greets visitors to the city’s pier.

“California Dream,” valued at more than $20,000, is the 106th piece in Brea’s outdoor arts program. Under a city ordinance, private developers with commercial, industrial or residential projects valued at $500,000 or more must select and install an artwork.

“California Dream” was chosen by Tamarack Pointe Limited Partnerships, a Brea-based developer, to accompany a new housing complex.

“It’s a way for developers to give back to the community,” said Emily Keller, the city’s cultural arts manager.

The program suffered a setback last year when two of the most popular pieces--”Doublecheck,” a bronze figure of a businessman reading a letter, and “Golden California,” a statue of a California grizzly bear--were stolen.

The thefts “caused us to really inspect the mounting system that artists put into the cement and concrete bases,” Keller said. “We’re now requiring a different, stronger kind of bolting system.”

“Doublecheck,” valued at about $250,000, was recently recovered when a metal shop employee in Santa Fe Springs called Brea police, Keller said. A suspect has been arrested, but the statue suffered considerable damage.

Keller said the city gave descriptions of the sculptures to local scrap metal shops.

The grizzly bear statue, worth at least $100,000, has not been found.

Brochures of the Art in Public Places program and maps for a self-guided tour of the collection are available at the city’s Community Services Department at the Brea Civic & Cultural Center, 1 Civic Center Circle.

More information: (714) 990-7735.