Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Bold in color and shape, Matt Cartwright's Kissing Bench is more than an ice-breaker, it's a loud declaration that it's always a good time for a gesture of love.
You don't imagine cut and welded steel achieving such curvaceous grace, but that's what Jackie Braitman has achieved in creating a figure which is both fiery and unmistakably feminine.
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.
In the News
- 8/05/2022 - NB Independent: NB Arts Commission Dedicates Phase VII of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park
- 3/11/2020 - Newport Beach sculpture garden to get a refresh with 10 new sculptures
- 1/22/2020 - Public invited to vote on new sculptures
- 8/30/2019 - NB Independent: Next Phase of Sculpture Exhibition moving forward
- 6/28/2019 - NB Independent: Dedication of sculpture exhibition in Civic Center Park
- 6/22/2019 - LA Times:10 new sculptures join Newport Beach exhibition
- 6/24/2019 - OCRegister: Artwork created by crew-chief of truck racing team among 10 added to NB sculpture garden
- 6/28/2019 - Daily Pilot: Millions of dollars in state earmarks support outdoors projects in Newport, Huntington and Costa Mesa
- 3/22/2019 - Daily Pilot: Newport Arts Commissioners make oranges top pick
- 3/18/2019 - Daily Pilot: Poll winding down as Newport seeks public favorites for additions to sculpture exhibit
- 3/15/2019 - Newport Beach Independent: First Look at Next Phase of Sculpture Garden
- 2/20/2019 - Bay Area Grind: City of Newport Beach Call for Entries
- 2/15/2019 - Daily Pilot: Matchstick sculpture outside Civic Center may enter permanent collection
- 2/10/2019 - The Art Guide: Newport Beach Civic Center Sculpture Exhibition
- 1/18/2019 - Pelican Hill Magazine: Where to Explore Everyday Public Art in Orange County
- 1/17/2019 - Newport Beach Independent: Local Art Moving Forward: Sculpture Garden
- 1/9/2019 - Daily Pilot: Newport will fill funding gap for sculpture exhibit in Civic Center Park
- 11/3/2017 - Newport Beach Independent: New Round of Sculptures Officially Opens
- 10/26/2017 - Daily Pilot: Latest sculptures get grand opening Saturday
- 10/26/2017 - Daily Pilot: Photo gallery Newport Beach Civic Center sculptures
- 9/29/2017 - Newport Beach Independent: Council OKs Phase III of Sculpture Exhibition
- 9/27/2017 - Daily Pilot: Latest sculptures approved
- 9/15/2017 - Daily Pilot: Sculpture finalists announced
- 8/25/2017 - Daily Pilot: Panel's pick echoes public choices
- 8/11/2017 - Daily Pilot: Online survey picks public's favorite
- 6/22/2016 - Pelican Hill Magazine: Nature in the Urban World at Civic Center Park
- 9/30/2015 - Explorer LA: Strolling Through a Newport Beach Sculpture Garden
- 9/18/2015 - Newport Beach Independent
- 9/13/2015 - OC Register
- 9/12/2015 - Daily Pilot
- 9/10/2015 - Newport Beach Magazine: On View: Phase Two of the Sculpture in Civic Center Park Exhibition
- 9/9/2015 - OC Register
- 8/22/2015 - Daily Pilot
- 8/21/2015 - Newport Beach Independent
- 7/9/2015 - OC Register
- 10/3/2014 - Newport Beach Magazine: Art in the Park
- 8/7/2014 - Newport Beach Magazine: Newport Beach Buzz