Public poll for Newport Beach sculpture exhibition to close next week

Newport Beach residents have little less than a week left to weigh in on which of 33 works will be displayed as part of Phase VIII for the rotating exhibition in Civic Center Park.

“We encourage all Newport Beach residents to provide their input and select their favorite sculptures for Phase VIII of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park,” said Newport Beach Arts Commission Chair Arlene Greer. “There are a variety of sculptures to consider and we are looking forward to having the community join us in June to enjoy the sculptures of Phase VII and new ones for Phase VIII.”

Votes can be cast at sparkoc.com/nb_sculpture_poll. Voting is allowed only for Newport Beach residents; votes with ZIP codes outside of the city will not be counted. Only three votes — meaning the public can choose three sculptures total — can be cast per individual voter.

The survey will be closing on Jan. 10.

Pictured is “The Archaeology of Every Day” by sculptor Tyler Burton. The sculpture will be on display through 2024.

(Courtesy of the Newport Beach Arts Commission)

Cultural arts assistant Camille Escareal-Garcia said Thursday that the sculptures up for voting were chosen by a curatorial panel that included the city’s arts commission and two guest judges — Lisa Berman and Matteo Tannat. The panel voted on each sculpture individually, the highest of those moved on to the public survey.

Sculptures were selected based on artistic merit, durability, practicality and site appropriateness. Once the survey closes, the commission will review the results and are expected to present the 10 finalists and their three alternates — in the event that a sculpture is no longer available or if there are issues with installation and safety — to the City Council on Feb. 14.

Pending approvals, the sculptures will be installed in different parts of the park based off of their dimensions, weight and base requirements by Arts Orange County, a nonprofit arts council that also oversees the poll itself.

The revolving sculpture exhibition began in 2013 after the completion of Civic Center Park. Pieces are loaned for two years and sculptors are granted a small honorarium for loaning their works. Artists are required to maintain and repair as necessary. This installation follows Phase VII, which was approved last February and put into place over the summer. Those will be on display until summer 2024.

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