Pasadena puts the brakes on public art plan -- for now

The Pasadena City Council has voted to reject a recommendation by the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission to install controversial public artworks of light tubes and giant caps on the plaza in front of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

At a meeting earlier this week, the City Council voted instead to accept a recommendation by Pasadena City Manager Michael Beck to seek alternatives for the space.

The proposed “Light Field” by German artist Hans Peter Kuhn consists of light tubes 6 feet, 8 inches high on a base that is 15 feet by 38 feet. “Thinking Caps,” by New York City sculptor Dennis Oppenheim, consists of three giant hats and would stand 15 feet high.

Plans for the installations -- solicited by the Arts & Culture Commission and approved by the group in December -- had drawn complaints from some residents and preservationists, who said that the mixed-media contemporary pieces were too big for the plaza and would detract from the architecture of the buildings.

The Arts & Culture Commission recommended the artworks be installed as part of a $120-million project to build two convention centers flanking the auditorium. In city construction projects, 1% of the construction budget must be spent on public art.

Pasadena Heritage, a historic preservation organization, voiced objections. Its executive director, Sue Mossman, said the organization did not object to the designs but thought the sculptures would draw attention away from the 1920s auditorium.

Ann Erdman, spokeswoman for the city, said that the City Council’s 6-2 vote to accept the city manager’s recommendation allows the staffs of the city’s Cultural Affairs office and the Arts & Culture Commission 90 days to come back with another proposal.

The total budget for the planned installation would have been $1.2 million. About $150,000 of that has already been spent on artist selection and the planning phase.

Because the project has “caused a tremendous amount of passion” on the part of the community, Erdman said the city would ensure that the public was included in the new process. The city manager’s recommendation also calls for the views of the Pasadena Civic Operating Co., which manages the auditorium and opposes public artwork on the plaza, to be considered.

Terry LeMoncheck, executive director of the Pasadena Arts Council, a nonprofit advocacy organization not affiliated with city government, said the operating company’s position could be the “kiss of death” for any new installation. “We believe the plaza should showcase a piece of public art,” she said.

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diane.haithman@latimes.com