Arts Committee advances sculpture donation, dog park mural and relocation of longtime sculpture

The Palm Desert Cultural Arts Committee took action on three public art projects Wednesday, recommending the city accept a donated sculpture valued at about $700,000, fund a $40,000 dog park mural and relocate a sculpture that has stood at City Hall for more than 15 years.

The committee voted 3-0, with abstentions from committee members Ann Simley and Thomas Mitze, to recommend that the Palm Desert City Council accept the donation of “Chaos Ascenso,” a sculpture by internationally recognized artist Jedd Novatt, and approve a project budget not to exceed $300,000 for relocation and installation costs.

According to a staff report, the sculpture measures approximately 26 feet tall, is constructed of Cor-ten steel with epoxy paint, and has an estimated value of approximately $700,000. Staff said at the meeting that the work is currently in Spain and that the $300,000 would cover transportation and installation.

The city was among three that were approached with the donation and was ultimately selected. The donating foundation asked that its name not be disclosed publicly, staff said, though the name had been provided to the city’s attorneys.

Several committee members raised concerns during the discussion. One said the privacy of the donor presented potential pitfalls, citing past experience, and asked whether the committee could abstain rather than vote yes. “I still have red flags in the back of my mind about privacy,” the member said.

Simley noted that the proposal appeared to have advanced before the committee reviewed it.

“I feel we’re being railroaded into approving this thing,” Simley said, adding that for $300,000 the city could commission a new, custom artwork.

Staff said the donation had not been approved by the City Council and was coming to the committee first, and that an agreement had been sent to the city’s attorneys two days earlier in preparation for a possible council review.

The proposed installation site in front of City Hall is currently occupied by the sculpture “Danseur,” by artist Jean-Louis Corby, which the staff report said was acquired through the 2007/2008 El Paseo Sculpture Exhibition. The report said the sculpture was originally installed at Highway 111 and Monterey Avenue before being damaged in 2009 in a vehicle collision and has remained at City Hall since June 2009.

Staff recommended relocating “Danseur” under the city’s Public Art Deaccessioning Policy rather than removing it from the collection. Potential relocation sites identified in the staff report include park and greenspace areas at College Drive and Pacific Avenue at University Park, and at Harper Street within University Park.

A specific new location for “Danseur” to a future meeting, which staff said could be September because the committee does not meet in August.

In a separate action, the committee voted 3-2 to recommend that the City Council release a call for artists and approve a $40,000 budget for a mural at the Civic Center dog park. Staff said the project originated from a resident’s request to create a community dog mural celebrating the community’s connection to pets.

The two “no” votes — committee members Elizabeth Hauer and Aaron Grant — opposed the mural largely because they felt the chosen wall was a poor site.

The concept includes inviting residents to submit photographs of their dogs for possible inclusion in the artwork, with final selections left to the artist’s discretion, according to the staff report. Staff recommended retaining a professional mural artist rather than pursuing a fully community-painted mural, citing technical challenges with the wall surface.

The staff report identified two potential locations, both approximately 150 feet long: an east-facing wall along San Pablo Avenue, about 5 feet 6 inches high, and a west-facing wall adjacent to the Civic Center Park parking lot, about 6 feet 10 inches high. Although the report recommended the San Pablo Avenue wall for its higher visibility, the committee voted to place the mural on the parking lot wall.

Funding for both the sculpture donation and the mural would come from the city’s public art budget, staff said. Both recommendations now advance to the City Council.