This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

City Council Approves Recommendation of Sculpture Garden Artist

The Cerritos City Council mulls over the possibility of adding a new installation at the city's Sculpture Garden.

The Cerritos City Council approved a report on potential artists for a lighted sculpture as part of the Art in Public Places Program at the March 10 council meeting.  

Kathy Matsumoto, Cerritos’ assistant city manager, presented a report on a project which dates back to Dec. 2008 regarding the possible installation of artwork for the Cerritos Auto Square and the Cerritos Sculpture Garden.

According to Matsumoto, the Cerritos Fine Arts Commission expressed interest in acquiring two monumental sculptures different from what the city currently owns which would serve as a beacon to the site. Matsumoto said $206,000 has been dedicated to the Cerritos Auto Square project and the city staff anticipates about $30,000 for the sculpture garden project. Funding will be taken from the Cerritos Arts in Public Places Trust Fund.

Cliff Garten, an artist who specializes in public art projects and lighted sculptures, was recommended by the commission for the sculpture garden.  Maria Skiles, a Cerritos fine arts commissioner, spoke on behalf of the commission.

“He is the tops,” Skiles said. “His work is wonderful. It’s amazing in daytime and at night.”

Commissioner Julietta Williams said she sometimes refers to the sculpture garden as a “secret garden” because residents don’t seem to visit it often. She said a piece by Garten would illuminate the dark areas of the garden.

“I’m sure that we can get a piece in this city that we would all be very proud of and it will be a destination place,” Williams said. “We want people to go into the sculpture garden.”

Despite approval from a majority of the council, councilmember Carol Chen voted “no” on the recommendation.

“Is it the right time to spend that ultimate portion of the funds towards this piece at this time?” Chen asked. “I’m not so sure I want to commit all of the dollars to this last piece at this point.”

The council also discussed the pending legislation regarding Gov. Brown’s budget proposal. According to Mayor Cho, the council approved a resolution to protect the local assets of the redevelopment agencies  at a special meeting held earlier that day. As reported in recent council meetings, Brown’s budget proposal excludes redevelopment agencies, which funds many construction projects in Cerritos.

“The council and staff are working hard to protect our local funds and programs,” Cho said.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for March 24. Please check www.cerritos.us for updates on the upcoming agenda.

Find out what's happening in Cerritos-Artesiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Cerritos-Artesia