Commission hears status updates on public art: Tribute to Public Safety walls, Milking Time statue, stolen 'Fiesta' piece to be stored

Staff presented a status report on several ongoing public-art projects in Cerritos, including the Tribute to Public Safety plaza, the Milking Time statue by artist Jane DeDecker, and a partially stolen bronze titled Fiesta. Commissioners asked questions about placement and security; staff said it will remove and store a remaining Fiesta piece while options are evaluated.

The Tribute to Public Safety: Staff showed photos of the plaza and said two engraved granite walls approved by the City Council remain to be installed. The staff presentation described a primary “title” wall (fronting the street) and a secondary “statement” wall near a planter; the secondary was described as approximately 4 feet high by about 8 feet wide, and the primary wall as roughly 7 feet high by 16 feet long. A sample of the granite and engraving style was shown; staff reported the stone had been loaded for delivery and was expected to arrive the following Tuesday for installation.

Milking Time (artist: Jane DeDecker): Staff presented progress photos and said the sculpture honors Cerritos’s dairy history. The cow figure was described as roughly 5½ feet high, about 8½ feet wide and 8½ feet deep. Staff gave an approximate total project cost of $279,000 and said the clay and mold stages are complete and the foundry casting process is underway; the anticipated completion and shipment date is about October, timed for the city’s 70th anniversary in April. Commissioners discussed likely siting of the piece; one commissioner suggested locating the sculpture near the city monument sign at Bloomfield and 180th, and the commission agreed to return the question of final placement to a future meeting and will seek City Council concurrence through the usual process.

Fiesta (stolen bronze): Staff described a two-piece bronze called Fiesta at the corner of 180th and Carmenita (referred to in the record as Carmonita) of which one of the two large bronze figures was stolen. Staff said there were no site cameras when the piece was installed, the homeowners association had been monitoring the site, and the theft was part of a pattern of metal thefts affecting public art and infrastructure. Because the sculpture’s edition was limited (staff reported the work was 1 of 7) and the artist has died, the mold for reproducing the stolen part no longer exists. Staff recommended removing the remaining piece from the site and storing it at the city corporate yard while the commission and city staff evaluate display and security options; commissioners did not approve a replacement at the meeting.

Other items: The commission briefly discussed a proposed arts festival; staff said the City Council had approved considering an arts festival and appointed Mayor Pro Tem Linda Johnson to an ad hoc working committee. A prior meeting between council and staff had occurred; city budgeting and event prioritization remain under consideration.

Commissioners and staff noted security and maintenance concerns for public art, and that replacement and reinstallation decisions involve the city council, property owners or homeowners associations, public-safety input and insurance considerations. Staff said sheriff’s department and insurer contacts have been involved for stolen pieces but that long-term answers on theft prevention are not yet in place.