By Emily Petillon
Managing Editor
One of Manhattan Beach’s most unusual programs is receiving fresh life. The temporary sculptures that decorate downtown Manhattan Beach will receive five new additions, and residents will see the new sculptures early this spring.
On Jan. 14, the Manhattan Beach Sculpture Garden Commission chose five pieces to recommend to the Manhattan Beach City Council at the Feb. 18 meeting for approval, with the hope that the newly-chosen pieces will be ready for display by March in downtown Manhattan Beach.
“When considering all the potential sculptures, the commission was looking for quality, thought-provoking art that would be appropriate, safe and easy to install,” Chairperson of the Cultural Arts Commission James Gill said. “We want art that will make people stop and appreciate it.”
The Sculpture Garden Commission displays temporary pieces in a few public locations in downtown Manhattan Beach, like in the Metlox Plaza, with the intention of enhancing Manhattan Beach through a variety of inspiring and beautiful artworks. The commission hopes that the new sculptures will attract viewers and incite conversation. All of the artwork is temporary.
“I believe these sculptures will be a chance for artists to display their work, as well as a chance for residents to experience more art in public places,” Gill said.
The finalists chosen by the commission were “Chairman of the Board” by Steve Reimans; “There, Now” by Rebecca Lowry; “Swell Model” by Alex Weinstein; “Totem” by Faducci- Solomon Bassoff & Domenica Mottarella, and “Kelp Forest” by Frank Mando. Upon city council approval, these pieces will be on display for one year.
“I think that these sculptures help enhance the Metlox area and make walking downtown more fun and interesting,” junior Rebecca Bacich said. “I’m excited to see what the sculptures are and hope that they are as innovative as the last ones. It’s really unique that Manhattan Beach has this program.”
Mando’s sculpture depicts kelp forests growing offshore. Mando is a Philadelphia-trained sculptor who draws inspiration from his everyday life. He has had 25 years of experience working with sculpture and works with metal, wood, stone, fiberglass and urethane foam.
“I love the ocean and the plants and animals that live there,” Mando said. “Surfing is my favorite pastime. I want people to feel inspired to learn more about the ocean and its various forms of life and help protect the beach and ocean environments.”
Bassoff and Mottarella were influenced by forests of the Sierra Nevada and are interested in manipulating cement so it can be viewed in innovative ways. They work in handcrafted cement and glass mosaic sculpture.
“A totem is a piece that allows people to see if they are in a dream or in reality,” Bassoff said. “When people see this sculpture, we hope that they will be inspired to follow and pursue their dreams.”
A graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Reisman draws his inspiration from the constant advancements of technology and how he believes these advancements may be destroying the natural world.
“The images displayed attempt to bring to life a playful caricature of a surfer on a surf board riding a wave,” Reisman said. “The surfer’s kinetic arms are delicately balanced to move in the wind. My visual references to surfing are deliberate references to the ocean that lies close to Manhattan Beach.”
Although she trained as an architect, Lowry became interested in sculpting after living and working in Switzerland. Now she lives in Los Angeles, and occasionally lectures on art and architecture at USC.
“The art that I create is open-ended. That means there’s nothing in particular I want people to think about or to understand when they look at it. I like to create things that are intriguing and that will provoke people to think thoughts that I can’t possibly predict,” Lowry said. “Since everyone is different, they’ll all bring something unique to how they see the work. It is intended to be lighthearted, but at the same time, to encourage thoughts about time and place that, for some, might be pretty profound.”
Weinstein attended Brown University for visual arts and creative writing. He currently lives and works in Manhattan Beach. He has been sculpting “swell models,” which look like cross sections of the ocean that are removed and relocated, for the past decade.
“I was interested in what that relocation of water might look like,” Wienstein said. “The idea is to see what ocean water would look like inside an architectural space.”
His piece for the sculpted garden, “Swell Model,” follows this style and is a tower made up of about 12 cubes of cast concrete that look like sea water. On one side, it has an effect meant to emulate a rippled surface, while the other sides are smooth. With this piece, Weinstein hopes to relate both modern and post-modern concerns in contemporary art.
“Totems are historically culturally powerful symbols,” Weinstein said. “Mine takes its cues from the Pacific Ocean and its powerful swells and allure as well as the city overlooking it, Manhattan Beach. Manhattan Beach is an urban center in its own right with a palpable love affair with the sea, and I wanted my piece to express this.”
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