Bathroom Roofs, Cows and the Death of the Solar Web

By Jorge Casuso

The Arts Commission met Monday night.

Given that the board hasn't had a quorum since February, that alone is news.

With eight of the 12 members present, the commission approved $164,000 of its $468,000 art budget to attach roofs to the new bathrooms that are part of the $12 million beachfront renovation. The graceful lantern-like roofs are the finishing touches on the Beach Improvement Group (BIG) project that stretches from the northern section of Palisades Park to the bike paths at the southern end of the beach.

"We have had an emergency situation happen," said Maria Luisa de Herrera, the city's director of Cultural Affairs. "The roofs have never been done before. They are very innovative and original, but there have been problems attaching them."

Commissioner Gregory Spotts questioned the use of the money, which came out of a fund that swelled to $608,306 after the City Council scrapped the Solar Web, a proposed beach sculpture that would have used up $150,000 of the arts fund.

"The roofs would soak up our entire income for new ideas and art projects for a year," Spotts said. "Most people won't realize the roofs are an art work. I'm a citizen and I've walked past those bathrooms, and I never thought it was an art work."

But board chair Jorge Pardo said the bathrooms were art and that the commission is "getting a tremendous bang for its buck."

Spotts also unsuccessfully tried to postpone a vote to allocate $40,000 until the next budget is prepared, noting that the cancellation of three successive monthly meetings pushed the decision close to the end of the current fiscal year on June 30.

Spotts' motion failed and the board voted to allocate $20,000 to document the beachfront project, $10,000 to dedicate new projects and $10,000 for public art planning.

"June is like here," Spotts said. "We can easily not spend the money by July 1. We should wait, see how much money we have and make decisions."

De Herrera, however, advised the board against the delay. "That would tie our hands greatly," she said. "It's not about spending the money, it's about getting it in the works."

In a brief statement during her executive summary, de Herrera verified rumors that internationally renown environmental sculptor Nancy Holt declined to relocate her Solar Web (a giant jungle gym/sun dial) to another Santa Monica site.

"Nancy Holt was brought out to give her an opportunity to find another site," de Herrera said. "She graciously said no. That's it, we will never have a Nancy Holt project."

At least one member of the public had an idea how to spend some of the public art funds - cows. Sheila Wells, who had visited Chicago during an exhibition of 500 cow sculptures urged the board to follow suit. In Chicago, which followed the lead of Geneva, cows - in space suits, hatching from eggs, disguised as pigs, jumping over the moon -- were displayed in public spaces across the city.

"I can see them in Palisades Park, on the beach, in the hotels, on the Third Street Promenade," Wells said. "You laugh, then you look and you're fascinated."

Some commissioners had already heard three similar requests from three other members of the public. Some suggested seals or sea horses instead of cows.

Geneva is known for cows, so is Chicago, with its tradition of stockyards, some commissioners noted.

"New York is doing cows," one commissioner said.

"I feel we're more whale people," another retorted.

The cows might rear their heads again at the next public art committee meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.