[MSN] us. Protecting public art

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Protecting public art
City looks to offer higher security measures after bronze-sculpture robbery.
By JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER
The Orange County Register

BREA — Children at Laurel Elementary school miss the mother and child that used to dance on the corner of Birch Street and Poplar Avenue.

Many were greeted by the whimsical bronze statue on their walk home from school and now they want to know: where did she go?

"Spirit of Life" – a sculpture depicting a mother swinging her child – has stood prominent on the busy corner for 11 years.

Now, all that is left is a gaping hole of what once was.

The statue – owned by the Arbors Housing Association – was stolen at about 3 a.m. April 20. The fear is it has been melted down for its metal.

The sculpture is part of the city's Art in Public Places program – which requires developments over $1.5 million to earmark 1 percent of the project cost for a public art piece.

Fliers were sent to local scrap yards, the piece was registered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's stolen art list and put on the Fine Art Registry to try and recover the sculpture.

So far, there are no leads. "Spirit of Life" is the second statue taken in 10 years.

The burglary has prompted the city to look into more advanced security options to offer owners. There are 142 pieces around the city.

"I've been researching and looking for things that we could offer owners such as a Lo Jack or a GPS system," said Trinitee Manuel, Community Services specialist for Art in Public Places. "We want to give owners the option to invest a few thousand dollars into a sculpture and give them that resource."

Art Willis, president of the Arbors Housing Association, said the residents are weighing their options to commission a new piece.

"We don't have any timeline right now, but we want to set one soon," he said. "We're not sure what we're going to pick out."

Willis said the association's next piece will be better protected.

"We will absolutely look into higher security," he said. "We should put some kind of device on it."

Willis said the association was in shock when it learned of the burglary – the 350-pound statue could not have been an easy heist.

Whoever stripped the figure from its post came prepared, Manuel said.

The statue, she said, was grounded by an inch-thick piece of galvanized metal set 7 inches into a block of cement.

"Spirit of Life" is valued at $85,000 and if melted, would be worth just a few hundred dollars.

"It's a ridiculous amount compared to the cultural value and the actual value of the piece," Manuel said.

The statue – commissioned in 1996 – was constructed by Scottish artist John Kennedy who has since died.

However, the Arbors Housing Association would be able to get a duplicate, but may have to pay more for it.

"We really wouldn't know how much more it would be until we took a look at their insurance," said Tyra Golter, assistant manager of Kennedy's estate. "But it was 10 years ago and price has definitely gone up."

The Arbors Housing Association hopes to have a new statue in place by late December. 

http://www.ocregister.com/