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Government » DEPARTMENTS » Library Services » Cultural Arts

Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park

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The Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park is an integral feature of the Newport Beach Civic Center. Civic Center Park, which turned nearly half a million square feet of undeveloped land into a new public park, was designed by renowned landscape architectural firm Peter Walker and Partners (PWP).  The City Arts Commission determined that a rotating exhibition, in which pieces are loaned for a 3-year period, was an optimal approach to bring sculpture to the City in a cost-efficient manner. In 2013, the Newport Beach City Council authorized the City Arts Commission to implement an inaugural rotational sculpture exhibit in Civic Center Park.

Admission is free and the exhibition continues to be enjoyed by residents and guests of all ages and sensibilities. The exhibition has become a “museum without walls” that offers the temporary display of public art in a unique, naturalistic setting. Moreover, the City is able to exhibit a well-balanced representation of public art, with artistic merit, durability, practicality, and site responsiveness as criteria in the selection of work. The rotational nature of the exhibit ensures that residents and guests are exposed to a variety of work. 

Selected sculptures will be on loan to the City of Newport Beach for three years. Sculptors, whose artworks are chosen for installation in Civic Center Park, will receive a small honorarium. The City is responsible for installing the art, while artists are responsible for the maintenance and repair of their work. The outdoor exhibition attracts an audience of all ages, including schoolchildren, the local community, and visitors from Southern California and beyond.  

INSTALLED JUNE 2024 

PHASE IX SCULPTURES: 

The Phase IX sculptures are as follows:

  • Reaching Man by Ron Whitacre
  • Glee by Cindy Debold
  • Trillium Bus Stop Bench by Matt Cartwright
  • Millefolium by Catherine Daley
  • Interplay by Pamela Ambrosio
  • Duality by Giuseppe Palumbo
  • Growing Wings by Hilde DeBruyne
  • Heavy Landing by Vojtech Blazejovsky
  • Gecko  by Doug Snider
  • Natural Wonders by Michele Moushey Dale

Phase IX Sculptures will de-install in June 2027.

  • Sculpture of a man reaching towards the sky - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Reaching Man by Ron Whitacre

    Yearning, aspiring, straining, stretching – whatever kind of reach you imagine when you look at this figure, the striking power with which Ron Whitacre expresses motion in the human form is undeniable.

  • Sculpture of a figure in a playful stance - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Glee by Cindy Debold

    Orange County native Cindy Debold uses stainless steel to imagine the dazzling sensation that fills a body as it moves with abandon; reminding us all to treat ourselves to the same feeling whenever we can.

  • Sculpture of a flower with the leaves shaped for seating - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Trillium Bus Stop Bench by Matt Cartwright

    Originally designed for a bus stop in a windy Oregon community, Matt Cartwright’s steel and aluminum flower allows our coastal breezes to flow right through, and invites visitors to our park to relax for a spell.

  • Sculpture of long thin poles and circular tops - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Millefolium by Catherine Daley

    Millefolium is part of the scientific name for the yarrow flower, whose shape is here expanded to a majestic ten feet tall, the better to drink in the Southern California sunlight.

  • Colorful sculpture with various patterns - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Interplay by Pamela Ambrosio

    From any angle, the wild, curving collision of colors and patterns on display in Pamela Ambrosio’s painted steel work Interplay provides a joyful jolt to the eyes.

  • Sculpture of two figures balancing - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Duality by Giuseppe Palumbo

    Iconic in its simplicity and power, Giuseppe Palumbo’s depiction of two balanced figures evokes not just our shared humanity, but how much we depend on one another to maintain harmony.

  • Red sculpture shaped like wings taking flight - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Growing Wings by Hilde DeBruyne

    Belgian-American artist Hilde DeBruyne has long been inspired by butterflies, and Growing Wings captures the mix of struggle and elegance you see when something new and beautiful unfurls from out of its cocoon.

  • Sculpture of a dragonfly and a dandelion - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Heavy Landing by Vojtech Blazejovsky

    The Park was designed to celebrate the balance of plants and animals native to this land, which resonates perfectly with Heavy Landing, a depiction of the landing of a dragonfly on a dandelion; two delicate life forms that mean so much to the ecosystem.

  • A colorful bench shaped like a gecko - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Gecko by Doug Snider

    This lizard, splashed with brilliant color reminiscent of the Alebrije, spirit animals of Mexican culture, is making its first trip away from its home at the Spanish Village Art Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park, and offering an ideal place to sit and enjoy an ocean view.

  • Sculpture of a boy sitting on a turtle looking through a spyglass - sculpture in Civic Center Park
    Natural Wonders by Michele Moushey Dale

    One of the true wonders of the Earth is how different forms of life can work in harmony, and this is what Michele Moushey Dale pays tribute to in this bronze casting that shows animals, even the human animal, in peaceful balance.

Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park - Phase VIII

Phase VIII of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park. The ten sculptures were selected from submissions received by a national call for entries based on their artistic merit, durability, practicality and site appropriateness. Arts Orange County provided professional services for the coordination of the artist selection and installation of the sculptures. They are scheduled to be on display in Civic Center Park for three years. 

INSTALLED JUNE 2023

PHASE VIII SCULPTURES: 

The Phase VIII sculptures are as follows:

  • Tulip the Rockfish by Peter Hazel, Reno, CA
  • Confluence #102 by Catherine Daley, Windsor, CA
  • One Another by Maxwell Carraher, Sunland, CA
  • Efram by James Burnes, Santa Fe, NM
  • The Memory of Sailing by Zan Knecht, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Newport Glider by Ilya Idelchick, Solana Beach, CA
  • Inchoate by Luke Achterberg, Onalaska, WI
  • Kissing Bench by Matt Cartwright, Portland, OR
  • The Goddess Sol by Jackie Braitman, Takoma Park, MD
  • Metal Tree by Pontus Willfors, Inglewood, CA

Phase III sculptures will deinstall in June 2026.

  • Tulip the Rockfish_ver01
    Tulip the Rockfish by Peter Hazel

    Rockfishes get their name from their habit of hiding among rocks at the bottom of the ocean; but Tulip, rendered in vivid color by Peter Hazel, seems safe and content here in the open air of the park.

  • Confluence #102_ver02
    Confluence #102 by Catherine Daley

    From a sturdy base, the tubes of Catherine Daley's Confluence #102 ascend in parallel waves, lifting spirits and harnessing the sunlight in different ways throughout the day.

  • One Another_ver02
    One Another by Maxwell Carraher

    While it looks like the upper figure is pulling up the lower one, it's actually the figure underneath who is supporting the weight of Maxwell Carraher's bronze sculpture - a simple yet powerful evocation of the strength we can share by reaching out and connecting.

  • Efram
    Efram by James Burnes

    The diverse flora and fauna of the Civic Center Park have a new visitor, a grazing buffalo named Efram - assembled by James Burnes in steel and wood with an eclectic, cubist flavor.

  • Memory of Sailing, The
    The Memory of Sailing by Zan Knecht

    Negative space never saw a better match than Zan Knecht's evocation of a full, tall set of sails against our splendid Pacific Ocean view.

  • Newport Glider
    Newport Glider by Ilya Idelchick

    When was the last time you imagined you were flying? The wild and whimsical Glider, created by Ilya Idelchick, is here on a mission to spread the spirit of joyful play in the outdoors.

  • Inchoate
    Inchoate by Luke Achterberg

    The word "Inchoate" means not yet formed, rudimentary; an appropriate description of this work that surges with raw energy. What do you think it will become?

HISTORY OF THE SCULPTURE IN THE CIVIC CENTER PARK EXHIBITION

Newport Beach Civic Center Park - 100 Civic Center Drive, Newport Beach

In August 2013, the Newport Beach City Council authorized the City Arts Commission and City staff to implement a temporary sculpture exhibit in Civic Center Park. The City Council approved the installation of ten sculptures in Phase I of the project and additional ten sculptures in Phase II. The sculptures installed in year one were on display for two years and were removed and returned to the artists in 2016. Those installed in year two, or Phase 2, will be removed in September 2017. The ten sculptures selected for installation in September 2015 are shown in this Phase 2 Presentation.

 A grand opening celebration on September 12, 2015 marked the installation of nine new sculptures in Phase II of the Sculpture in the Civic Center Park Exhibition with the tenth sculpture, "Sunflower," to be installed in January 2016. The community was invited to view the sculptures, meet the artists and enjoy music and refreshments at the Civic Center.  Docent led tours of the Sculpture in Civic Center Park Exhibition were conducted by members of the Newport Beach Art Foundation.

 As of November 2024, the Sculpture Exhibition will be moving to a three-year rotation for sculptures starting with Phases VIII and IX.

MOBILE APP SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR OF THE PARK

For a self-guided walking tour of the Sculpture in the Civic Center Park Exhibition, download the "MyNB" app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.  Search for "MyNB."  If you already have the "MyNB" app on your mobile device, update it to include the latest additions to the Sculpture Exhibition.

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