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Council debates Arts Commission sculptures; purchase tabled for more community input
Summary
The council and public debated two proposed public sculptures — a $25,000 prebuilt piece called 'Touch the Sky' and a $40,000 commissioned red-tailed hawk. Councilmembers praised the hawk idea but expressed reservations about the first piece’s fit and location; the item was tabled for further work and community input.
The Oroville City Council heard an extended discussion about two public-art purchases recommended by the Oroville Arts Commission and ultimately tabled the purchase to allow further review and community input.
The Arts Commission recommended buying a prebuilt sculpture titled Touch the Sky for $25,000 and commissioning a second piece, a red-tailed hawk by artist Martin Taylor, for $40,000. ‘‘The first location that they would like this to go is the Southside Community Center,’’ Arts Commission chair Dave Tomori told the council, adding that the hawk would be smaller and sized so people could stand in front of it.
Council reaction split. Several members said the hawk, which reflects a local species, would “educate the public and the kids,” and praised the Arts Commission’s work. Others said the Touch the Sky piece felt stylistically distant from Oroville and questioned its proposed siting at Southside. Vice Mayor Smith said art “is in the eye of the beholder” and cautioned against buying a piece solely because it looked like a deal. Several councilmembers requested additional artist renderings and a wider request for proposals to seek local artists’ input.
Public comment echoed council concerns. One commenter urged more smaller artworks distributed throughout the city rather than one or two large pieces and recommended hiring local artists, including from Indigenous communities, for future projects.
Outcome: After debate, the council tabled the item to return with additional community input, more renderings, and the possibility of reissuing the public-art RFP. No purchase was approved at the meeting.
Provenance: Discussion of the arts purchases began when the Arts Commission presented item 5 and concluded when council voted to table the purchase for further work.
