What do think about about the proposed installation of the sculpture “High Seas” at Solomon Jacobs Park?
Ward meeting Monday on proposed sculpture at Solomon Jacobs Park
From Paul McGeary:
Dear Friends,
On Monday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m. Councilor Melissa Cox and I will be hosting a dual ward meeting at Maritime Gloucester on Harbor Loop to present the proposal to install a sculpture by the renowned artist and son of Gloucester David Black.
David, who was born here and was valedictorian of his class at Gloucester High School is making a gift to the city of a sculpture entitled “High Seas.” The sculpture will be located at Solomon Jacobs Park, between Maritime Gloucester and the Coast Guard Station.
David, who traces his roots back to the early families of Gloucester, including the Tarrs and the Wonsons, whose names appear on the old paint Manufactory across the harbor from the park, is a world famous artist. His works appear in cities around the world, including and Berlin, Germany, Washington DC, Nagano, Japan, and Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. His sculptures epitomize the best of modern art, capturing in steel and shape the spirit of a place.
“High Seas” evokes billowing sails and stormy seas in a modern idiom. It embodies Gloucester’s past and its future. It is fitting that it be located just down the hill from the Fitz Henry Lane house. David is very much in the tradition of the artists who have found inspiration in Gloucester for more than three centuries. He is donating his normal commission to the city as a gift to the place of his birth.
I encourage you to attend the meeting to hear for yourself about this exciting opportunity to enrich our city’s already rich artistic and cultural legacy.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Loved hearing Mr. Black speak about his work. “High Seas” absolutely belongs here in his hometown harbor!
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It may belong here, but I don’t this location is appropriate. Very small space for a 40′ wide sculpture 25′ high.
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I actually don’t like it one bit
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A lovely gesture, but not my taste. Don’t see how it goes with the surroundings.
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I like it. It reminds me of a wave breaking on a wild foamy sea.
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I think it would be a beautiful addition to the waterfront area. The feeling of the movement of crashing waves gives real power to the piece, not to mention it’s monumental size.
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It seems the little park downtown is too tight quarters for such a large piece. Its open composition requires a large, open-air siting where it would be more fully appreciated. Stage Fort Park comes to mind, on a pedestal to the right of Tablet Rock.
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I don’t like it. I understand his concept but I don’t like the sculpture.
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Ruth Mordecai writes ~
“There have been examples of public art in the City of Gloucester that are a tribute to this city and are loved by the people here because they speak to the heart of who we are:
The Committee for the Arts has done a wonderful job in taking care of and publicizing the beautiful and historically significant City Hall Murals.
seARTS did it right when the Partner with an Artist chose Tricia O’Neill’s downtown mural of her quote from Vincent Ferrini.
Ken Hruby’s bronze in the courtyard of the Cape Ann Museum.
There is the bronze sculpture of Fitz Henry Lane next to the historic Fitz Henry Lane House, a historic house on the harbor side of Rogers Street. The three story stone Gothic Revival building was built in 1849 by the artist and was his home until his death in 1865.
And we cannot forget the Man at the Wheel !!!!!!! A triumph of figurative public sculpture.
Now one would think…well those have gone well…why not just continue as we have been?
Because it is not enough that an individual, a sculptor, with a technically skillfully fabricated work, as nice as he is, and having connections to Gloucester, has offered to contribute his work to the city.
I trained as a sculptor at Boston University School for the Arts and got my Masters and Bachelors degrees there and taught there in sculpture and worked with some of the best sculptors of this century. I welded in steel and cast from clay to plaster to bronze. I would not expect because I live here that a work of mine, should I want to contribute it, would be placed in front of the community without a rigorous process to determine WHERE it should go and WHETHER it is right for Gloucester.
I am aware of a lot of discord and discomfort around this work. It is not enough to say in time we will get used to it.
Museums do not accept donations without a process of selection.
As Gloucester ventures more actively into the realm of more public art for this city we need to have a more critical process in place. It is important that a new Public Arts Policy be developed that sets the standards and that assures engagement by the people of Gloucester and our local artists in the selection of public art.
Other cities have done this…the City of Boston has had a specific “Task Force for Public Art”. They have worked with the neighborhoods. I was a member of that task force for 2 years.
I therefore urge that the City of Gloucester delay any vote to set aside $30,000 of public funds for the installation of the David Black sculpture at Solomon Jacobs Park until a rigorous review and public discussion of the proposal and alternative locations is completed.
Respectfully,
Ruth Mordecai
I am very sorry I cannot be at the meeting. I have had a plan in place for several months to leave for 2 weeks on Monday morning.”
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It is very clear that when it comes to art not all of us will agree. But Ruth has identified the need for a public process which apparently is not in place. Having read some of the comments, it is apparent that the lack of public information and a chance to be heard, has to be addressed. Given the need to handle this or any other proposal for public art, we really need to put a process in place that is very defined, open to public comment and transparent. So however you feel about this sculpture, I hope you will support a new process for public art proposals so there is a way for public notice and public comment. I am also out of Gloucester for this meeting but hope that there is interest in discussing the need for a defined public process too!
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Thank you so much to everyone for sharing their opinions. I hope they keep coming. I’ve reposted Ruth’s comment here because I think she speaks articulately to how many, myself included, think about the proposed David Black sculpture.
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What an interesting piece of artwork! I would welcome it as an addition to our collection of City Sculptures.Since it is such a large piece I think it should not be “crowded”. It should be installed somewhere in the City, away from buildings, where there is a lot of space to stand back and take the whole piece in( as well as to get up close to look it over from all angles).
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Though I admire Mr. Blacks generosity and thoughtfulness in wanting to donate a piece of his work to his hometown, and though I enjoy large abstract sculpture and think it would be wonderful to have something of that size here, I do not at all support putting it on the waterfront where it can obscure the views. That park in particular is very small for a 40′ wide x 25′ high sculupture. Folks sit on the hill behind it to watch concerts at Harbor Loop or to picnic or simply to enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of our inner and outter harbor from that hill, and the sculpture would change that, for sure. I agree with Ruth that there needs to be a mechanism in place to deal with this issue. And am also grateful for the time and effort the Committee for the Arts has put forth on this project, but do not agree with their proposal on this matter. PEACE!
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It is a wonderful vigorous piece, but I absolutely agree that the placing would be wrong. For its size, it needs a much more open situation. I don’t know where that would be — somewhere similar the the placement of the sculpture in City Hall Park.
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I love the strong sense of crashing waves one gets from viewing this. I wonder what it will feel like to walk through it. As the oldest continuous art colony in our wonderful and diverse country, I strongly believe we should welcome all forms of artistic expression to our city. What a wonderful opportunity we have to augment our traditional marine art with this contemporary piece.
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I find the sculpture to be interesting but I don’t think it belongs on the waterfront where we have so little open space. I suspect that most folks, including myself, will find the material (that looks like polished aluminum) to be jarring and overly reflective on a sunny day. It would certainly be more appealing of it were bronze. Regardless, I would prefer that it not be plunked down where we have a lovely park and open vista. Would also prefer to not see public funds used for the fabrication and installation. Glad to see that there’s a push for public discussion on this!
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While I can appreciate the enthusiasm of several members of our city government for this project, it seems that this idea is being presented to the citizens of Gloucester not as an idea that is up for discussion, but as a “fait accompli.” I regularly read the daily newspaper (GDT) and GMG, and consider myself to be well informed, but this week is the first I’ve heard of this. Today’s GDT refers to a “series” of open meetings that were hosted by the Committee on the Arts. I, for one, never heard about such a series of open meetings; while I’m sure that the committee is in full compliance with open meeting laws, somehow this project has been off the public radar screen until now. My initial response to this proposal is that while Mr. Black is a respected artist with an international reputation, and the proposed sculpture is interesting, it’s wholly out of scale for the proposed site. It needs more space! Several commentators have suggested a site in Stage Fort Park, which, at first glance, makes much more sense. I agree with Ruth Mordecai and others: we need to take a big step back and think about how this massive work will impact the area it’s in, and determine a location where it will have the space it needs to be fully appreciated. People should be able to love this sculpture, rather than think of it as an eyesore on an already crowded waterfront.
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I think it’s a wonderful piece that speaks to the sense of place. However, I agree that the proposed site is inadequate. The piece demands space to fully appreciate it and feel it’s power. Stage Fort park also came to mind for me as an alternate site. I’m certain that more discussion and community input will tease out the right location.
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Where is this “Committee on the Arts” … can’t find them after 2010 or am I looking in the wrong place? Gloucester gov.ma – City website. I don’t see any agends or minutes after 2010. Perhaps they’ve had a name change?
It seems a little extravagant and vulgar to spend $30,000 of the City’s money on this one project when some Gloucester residents are, at this time, struggling to pay increased property taxes and increased energy bills.
I also don’t understand why we are trying so hard to find somewhere to put it. Is somebody going to make money from this? I’m not an artist but, surely you don’t create something this big ‘on spec’ and then hope to find a home for it? Perhaps I don’t understand the financing of the arts. Perhaps this is how sculptors do business … make something big, name it something appropriate, donate it to an organization/place with ‘ties’ to them… but, there must be some financial reward to somebody somewhere .. folks are trying too hard to give this piece a home.
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just no — jarring and out of place IMHO
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I like it. But it’s something you would see in the center of an Industrial Park or Commerce center. Not on the waterfront. Just my opinion.
How about a large “ART, ROCK!” 🙂
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I totally agree, it’s not for the waterfront. Let’s just leave some open space at the park.
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If you want to look at crashing waves, go to the beach. Leave Solomon Jacobs Park as open space for all to enjoy the great harbor views from there, not a big chunk of stainless steel.
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Very good response on this from everyone and all got a chance to say how they feel about this – that’s the important thing! I sit on the fence on this one 🙂 Dave
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I agree that we need to keep open, uncluttered space. Why doesn’t he just make a smaller version? Maybe we don’t need such a loud statement. And why should we spend so much public money to install it? If he really wanted to donate it why doesn’t he install it?
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Thanks for writing Marty–your comment is timely. I am not trying to politicize the issue, but do admire tremendously Mayor Sefatia’s initiative to create a public arts policy so that a piece like this isn’t ramrodded through the system.
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I think she’s doing a great job bringing this to the public’s attention, I didn’t know anything about it. I’ve been to the talks and the debate. It will be a good thing to have a policy in place.
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