These days, when locals think about public art in Petaluma, most folks immediately think of Brian Goggin’s Fine Balance (aka “The Bathtubs”), which was officially dedicated earlier this month.
But it’s hardly the only new piece of public art in town.
On Thursday, Sept. 19, between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., Petaluma photographer/sculptor Michael Garlington’s 120-foot photo mural will be celebrated with its own ribbon-cutting at the Petaluma Fairgrounds. It’s exuberantly titled “The True Heart of Petaluma. Ode to the Fairgrounds #1.”
The massive installation, showcasing the portraits of 118 Petalumans with ties to the fairgrounds, has been mounted on the back wall of the Petaluma Speedway bleachers building, and stands 20-feet tall.
““We are so excited to bring these portraits to our beloved Petaluma Fairgrounds, where residents have come together for generations to honor and uplift our agricultural heritage and celebrate our community,” said City Manager Peggy Flynn. “We hope that people come to see the portraits of their neighbors, old and young, and feel like we are truly one Petaluma, a place where agriculture, environmentalism, art and business can all work together to strengthen our community.”
Both “Woven Stories” and “The True Heart of Petaluma” were installed with support of the Petaluma Public Art Committee, and paid for with non-taxpayer funds collected as part of a city ordinance in which commercial developers must put 1% of the cost of local non-housing-related projects toward public art. Ideally, the developers will select and purchase or commission works to be incorporated into the design of their development, as is the case with the various sculptures at Deer Creek Village shopping center and the marshland wall sculpture on the exterior of Raley’s grocery store. They have the option, however, of putting the money into a fund from which the Public Art Committee draws to commission public works in parts of the town where they can be enjoyed by the community.
“What a great honor it’s been to meet and photograph the rich community of the Petaluma Fairgrounds,” said Garlington in a media release announcing the installation. “I was born and raised in Petaluma, so I feel a great kinship to the location and the families that help bring up this beautiful town.”
Meanwhile earlier in the week, on Monday, Sept. 16, the students of Kenilworth Junior High were joined by members of the Petaluma Public Art Committee, school district officials, school staff and artist Rude Calderón, for the official dedication of the sculpture “Woven Stories,” created by Calderón and Roberto Delgado, both of Los Angeles.
“’Woven Stories’ is a site-specific sculpture inspired by the indigenous Miwok peoples’ renowned basket weaving,” explains a press release distributed earlier this week. The 8-foot by 4-foot artwork features an onyx-travertine stone-carved basket crowned by a natural calcite flame, resting on top of a sandstone pedestal with inlaid ceramic tile.
“This project has been inspiring because it is educational,” said Calderón. “It involves local history, nature, science and astronomy. The ‘Solar Lense’ flame can rotate and follow the path of the sun and season. The stones come from three different states – California, Utah and Arizona. They display the geologic story of how stone forms over sedimentary history.”
