SR-305-004-01
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Caunc2l Mtg. 6/25/85
Santa Mon2ca, Callfornia
TO:
Mayor and C2ty Councll
10-4
JUN H \!85
FROM: Arts Commiss2on
RE: Offer of Donat2on of Artwork from the Karl Bornstein
Gallery
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that Council accept the offer of the Karl
Bornste1n Gallery to donate a sculpture by Colleen Sterr1tt to
the C2ty.
BACKGROUND
At its meet1ng on October 9, 1984, Councll adopted Resolution No.
6927 (CCS) WhlCh establlshed the Art Bank program. One provlsion
of th2s program outl1nes the procedure 1n which the City reVlews
and accepts offers of loans, donat1ons, and bequests of works of
art.
The Arts Commlssion has rece1ved such an offer of a donatlon from
the Karl Bornstein Gallery, 1662 12th Street, Santa Monica. The
gallery has offered the Clty a sculpture to be created by Colleen
Sterr2tt (see attached resume).
A model of thlS sculpture 16
avallable ln the Clty Councll offlce for Councll Members' reVlew.
The proposed sculpture would be installed on the Olympic
Boulevard median near 12th Street. The Sltlng of this sculpture
IO-A
JiJli 2 5 .
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at this location ~s a cond~tion of the donat~on as it is near the
donor's gallery. It would be a 16' h~gh construct~on comprised
of a ma~n structural body (tr~angulated cone form), two
supportive members (legal, and two extending appendages (a d~sc
and bow) which vary ~n he~9ht. The only s~gnage for the
sculpture would be a small plaque at ~ts base.
The main body ~s a hollow, triangulated cone, wh~ch is
approx~mately 15 ft. high x 4 ft. w~de x 9 ft. long. Th~s cone
w~ll be of ferro cement construct~on employing a steel mesh
armature ~mpregnated with cement. Th~s method of construct~on,
w~th special attent~on to the layers of steel and w~re mesh,
would allow a r~ch, textural surface.
The two support~ve legs, each approx~mately 7 ft. long x 1 ft.
deep, w1ll be made of wood and attach to the steel armature of
the tr~angular body w~th steel plates and bolts. These members
are hand-carved and sanded d1splay~ng the inherent qual~t1es of
the material. A wood preservat~ve and sealer are used for
durab~l~ty.
The d~sc appendage w~ll be constructed of re1nforced fiberglass
but will have the appearance of slate or marble. Its size 1S
approx~mately 5 feet 1n diameter x 2 ~nches deep and ~ts height
from the earth ~s 8 to 10 feet.
Three lnch steel tub~ng wrapped w~th wire will be employed ~n the
constructlon of the 12 ft. bow appendage. It will be primed and
sealed to prevent rusting. It is approximately 12 feet from the
earth at its lowest pOlnt.
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The entire plece is then covered wi th a Whl te paint and sealed
w~th a polyester coating.
At its meeting on May 28 and pursuant to the established
procedure concerning donat~ons of artwork, the Arts Comm~ss~on
cons~dered the recommendat~on of the Art Bank Jury that the offer
of th~s sculpture be accepted. The Arts Commission voted to
accept th~s recommendat~on and present ~t to Council.
After rece~ving this endorsement from the Arts Comm~ssion, the
proposed sculpture was then reviewed by Don Arnett, Director of
Recreat~on and Parks. and Stan Scholl. D~rector of General
Serv~ces.
Based on this review. ~ t was determ~ned that the
artwork would have a negl~gible impact on ma~ntenance operat~ons,
~ncluding tree tr~mming and lawn ma~ntenance, and recreational
use of the med~an. However, the design of the sculpture's plaque
and foot~ngs must min.1m~ze ~nterference with lawn ma~ntenance.
For safety considerat~ons, It is recommended that the height of
the disc appendage be raised to 8 to 10 feet from the ground. By
doing th~s. the sculpture would be diff~cult to climb and would
not obstruct Jogger's on the med~an. F1nally, there are no
Ob]ectlons to the proposed sculpture from traffic and eng~neer~ng
considerat~ons.
BUpGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
There 1S no budget
acceptance of this
~mpact
offer.
on the Cl.ty resultlng from Counc~l
The durabllity of materials and
construction methods have been h~ghly considered,
therefore
ma~ntenance is very l~mited.
Any future maintenance costs would
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be funded from the admlnlstratlve expendltures of the Percent for
Art Program. Also the sculpture, which would be valued at
$16,000 If purchased from the artlst's studio, would be covered
under the City's eXlsting self-lnsurance.
RECOHMENDATION
The Arts Cornrnlsslon respectfully recommends that Councll accept
the offer of the Karl Bornsteln Gallery to donate a sculpture by
Colleen Sterrltt to the Clty.
Prepared by:
Davld Lutz, Director, Arts Commlssion
(borndona)
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~~^~ G~~~1~:'~(,."\. _< '--.._.....~~;f ~ (~...;";~~-~~"
BORN
EDUCATION
1979
1978-9
1976
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1984
1983
1982
1981
GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTED)
1983
1982
1981
Or .. \..~~7t-_l~~t~,"!1 ~ t- ~, _~, - t.
Il f
, ..._, ...~-
COLEEN STERRITT
1953; MorrIs, IllinOIs
M.F.A. OtIS Art InstItute, Los Angeles, CalIfornIa
TeachIng AssIstantshIp, Sculpture Department, Otis
Art Institute, Los Angeles
B.F.A. UnIverSity of IllInoIs, ChampaIgn-Urbana, IllInOIS
Karl Bornstein Gallery, Santa MonIca
Mark QUInt Gallery, San DIego
Ulrlke Kantor Gallery, Los Angeles
Mark QUInt Gallery, La Jolla
"Flatworks: Non-Three Dlmeflslonal works by Sculptors",
WashIngton Project for the Arts, WashIngton, D. C.
"Mlles ABove: 19 Return to Otl s-Parsons", OtIS Art
InstItute of Parsons School of DeSIgn, Los Angeles
"-Dea I ers ChoIce", Eaton/Shoen Ga 11 ery, San Franc I sco
"ContInue", Group Show - Gallery ArtIsts, Mark: QUInt
Gallery, San DIego
"Color and ConstructIvIsm", Downey Museum of Art, Downey,
CalifornIa
"Downtown L.A.: Between the Freeways", Palm Spnngs
Desert Museum, Palm SprIngs, CalIfornIa, NatIonal
TravelIng ExhIbItIon
12th InternatIonal Sculpture Conference, Estuary Crannel
Sculpture ProJect, Oakland Museum, Oakland, CalifornIa
"Small Scale Sculpture", Art Gallery, UniversIty of
Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
"The Behavioral Patterns of the l. A. Art Dealer",
The American Gallery, Los Angeles
InstallatIon, Los Angeles Mus~um of Art, Los Angeles
Group Show, Tho~as Babeor Gallery, La Jolla, CalIfornIa
"The New Art of Downtown Los Anaeles", Ill1nOls State
UniverSity, Normal, IllInOIS: NatIonal TravelIng
Exhl bl tlOn
"Southern CalIfornIa Artl sts", Los Angeles Institute
of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
"DraWIng: Personal DefltutlOns", San DIego State
UniverSIty, San DIego
Group Show, Ulrlke Kantor Gallery, Los Angeles
"Young Turks", Downtown Gallery - Ron Salgado Fine
Arts, Los Angeles
. 'lL.
~~.'~:_~';:4"1 -(l' ,.,\.,t.'1't9'o.<;,.'-.....
COLEEN STERRITT contInued
1981
1980
1979
1978
1976
1975
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2.
"The New Art of Dovmtown Los Angeles", ~~adl son Art
Center, MadIson, WIsconSIn, NatIonal TravelIng
ExhIbItIOn
"In-5Ites", I-iomen's BUIldIng, Los Angeles
InstallatIon, Los Argeles InstItute of Contemporary
Art, Los Angeles
"Downtown L. A. In Santa Barbara", Santa Barbara
Contemporary Arts Forum, In cooperatIon WIth the
Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CalIfornIa
"Sculpture: Proposals for Downtown Los Angeles", KIrk
deGooyer Gallery, Los Angeles
"Six Downtown Sculptors", LACE, Los Angeles
"Invlt3tlonal Sculpture ExhlbltlOn", Ralph H. Parsons
EngIneerIng Company, Pasadena, CalIfornIa
"Pre-80's", Vanguard Gallery, Los )I,ngeles
Group Show, OtIS Art InstItute, Los ~ngeles
"FIrst Juned Show", MUnICIpal Art Gallery at Bamsdall
Park, Los Angeles
"Dollhouse InVItatIOnal", HIckory Muse!J'TI ")f Art,
Hickory, North CarolIna
"Natle,nal Sculpture '76", Ackland Art Museum, Chapel
HIll, North CarolIna, Annual, Jurled by Harcla Tucker
"DraWIng and Small Sculpture Show", Ball StatE UnIversIty,
MunCIe, IndIana
"EIght State RegIonal", J. B. Speed Art Museum, LOUlsvll!e,
Kentucky, Annual, JurIed by Max HutchInson
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LOS ANGELES TIMES
FRIDAY, JU~E 15,198~
o
One of the pnmary features of lale moderl1.!SI work IS
to Imoersonate earher styles This IS whal Cole en
Stemtt's upsIde down pyramids on three legs do-
seemmgly takmg an Iromc stance toware tpe pr:rmtlvlst !
l!.e,lslbluty - - <
If the confIscatIOn of non- Western art forws began m
earnesl with PIcasso, Matisse, Gaugum and olhers, It
later assumed popular and madvertently slily gUIses
with mass-produced replicas of PolYl'eSlan tlklS and
Dlsney's Jungle crUises The title for a senes of
maquettes "Congo De Luxe," remmds us of lhe
debasement of "pnmltlVe" Iconography even as her
sculpture pays homage to It
These pIeces, pamled black or white, look hke objects
constructed wIth ntuals m mmd In "Dark Cha Cha Ra"
and "NaIrobI 95," standmg more than seven feet high,
crude looking Implements, resembhng bones or ladles,
me above the- bps of the wood, stucco and hay
pyramidal vessels Do they Imply caldrons on stilts or
bowls for a bIg canmbahsllc cookout? Even though they
create these connotatIOns, they Impbcltly mock theIr
allUSIOns
Intentionally or not Sterntt's sculpture dIsplay the
achievements and bmltatlOns one fmds 10 successful
parody They crItIque theIr source but are utterly
dependent upon It Her work IS, fmally, a tnbute In
disgUise (Karl Bornstem Gallery, 1662 12th St, to July
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rr.1AGES & ISSUES
f4AR/APR 1984
COLLEEN STERRITT
Pamela Hammond
A tnangular plank angles toward the gal-
lery floor. It's propped up on two ends with
tapered, spindly legs The roughened,
black.tarred expanse of the sculpture
pitches downward, Impaled by double.
pOinted wooden shafts that plunge
straight through to the underSide The
wounded geometric form appears to gasp
for life
I first saw Colleen Slemtt's sculpture In
1980 Its gritty phYSicality and odd ungain-
ly postures aligned her sculptures to cur-
rent lough, exoresslve art Later, I asked
Sterntl to tell me about A Collect Calf from
Jimmy to Pmky-a Looney Toon type of
title, but one actually Inspired by a heated
telephone exchange "I was haVing a fight
with a good friend," Sternll relaled 'We
were yelling at each other I gol off the
phone and slammed It down, went over to
one of my pieces and started shOVing
these sticks In I sloDped, as If someone
were watching me-well, If thiS Isn't pret-
ty blatant, Colleen-I felt a lot of pressure,
anxiety, and rage tf I wasl1't yelling at
someone, It came out In sticks al1d spikes
Actually, lhere were times when the work
has been directly one on one, I always re.
lease an emotronal energy"
Sterntt's expreSSionism reveals a
charged content, the "Inner urge" Kandln.
sky spoke of, Impassioned and personally
Irnpnnled West Coast artists remain less
huddled together In a mainstream like-
ness, less affected by olher palntll1g
and/or art history than either their Eastern
.
29