Public Art Plan’s 2nd Work to Be Unveiled

The city of Calabasas’ fledgling Art in Public Places program is slowly but surely taking root, with the installation today of the second art piece on a commercial property.

The program, established by the City Council in 1993, aims to bring an appreciation of art to area residents by requiring developers to use 1% of their projects’ funding, up to $150,000, for public art.

City officials, who said they had hoped developers would rise to the challenge, envision an art collection of diverse styles, materials and themes. So far, they have met no resistance from buyers of property worth more than $500,000, the only ones required to fund art.

The first piece of art, “Diurnal Rose,” a sculpture by Venice-based artist Guy Dill, was installed at Gelson’s Center on Mulholland Highway.

The second will be unveiled today at the world headquarters of Helmet House, a motorcycle apparel company.

Phil Bellomy, company vice president, said he was less than enthusiastic with the requirement when he set out to relocate the company to a Malibu Hills Road site, noting that he had few guidelines from the city, no idea where to find a reputable artist and didn’t relish spending more money on the project.

Ultimately, he found Atascadero-based artists Steve Posson and his wife, Liselotte Bjorck-Posson, who created “The Ride,” a bronze sculpture depicting a man and a woman on a late-1950s-era motorcycle to adorn the front landscaping of the building.

“If we hadn’t been forced to do it, we probably wouldn’t have,” Bellomy said. “But as a result of having to do it, we are really pleased with the way it’s come out. It’s going to be an asset to the property.”

A third sculpture, an abstract also created by Dill, is scheduled to be erected at Calabasas Pointe on Agoura Road, and a fourth piece of art has been commissioned by Card Service International, which is adding a building to its existing development on Lost Hills Road.

“Each one is more exciting than the last,” said Ellen Pangarliotas, a member of the three-person Art in Public Places committee.