HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/02/2015 - City Arts Commission - 09 Staff Report Seagulls in Flight RestorationRECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Arts Commission approve the allocation of funds to restore the sculpture,
Seagulls in Flight.
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:
The cost of restoration is estimated at $4,450.00. Restoration and repair of the statue will be expensed
from the Lenahan Trust (Account No. 4093-8200).
DISCUSSION:
On August 22, 1960, Newport Beach City Council approved the placement of a statue to adorn the
approach of the Corona del Mar Branch Library. The Friends of the Library donated the sculpture,
entitled Seagulls in Flight, in honor of Miss Molly McClintock, a local teen who was tragically killed in an
automobile accident on April 14, 1960. The statue, sculpted by Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Cameron of
Bonsall, bears the inscription, “To the youth of Corona del Mar in memory of Molly McClintock.” The
Camerons also produced the sundial that enhances the gardens at the Huntington Library and a similar
yet much larger piece of public art entitled Eagles in Los Angeles on Wilshire Boulevard just west of
MacArthur Park (Attachment A). The piece remains at the CDM branch as a beloved tribute to a young
girl who was taken before her time, to the young people of Corona del Mar, and as an important part of
local and Library history.
Seagulls in Flight requires restoration work. There is a large crack in the piece that has been repaired
non-professionally, and most of the gulls in the piece have had their beaks chipped off (Attachment B).
Brain Lanzini of Lanzini Art, a local business specializing in restoration, provided this analysis:
“(The) statue is worn, as would be expected for a 60 year old public work. It has numerous chips,
cracks, and poor prior repair work. It appears to have had a number of mishaps in its past,
predicting repair of areas that appeared to be not far from breaking off at one point in the
statue’s life. Although the statue is whole, there are some areas that would require
strengthening to make the statue sound.
Our recommendations are twofold. The first being repair by mechanical, or repair by adhesive for
cracked areas in danger of breaking off. The second course of action is part conservation
(retaining the artist’s original integrity of piece) and restoration to make piece look new again,
TO: CITY ARTS COMMISSION
FROM: Library Services Department
Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director
949-717-3810, thetherton@newportbeachca.gov
PREPARED BY: Tim Hetherton
TITLE: Seagulls in Flight Restoration
being as minimally invasive as possible.
The scope of the procedure would first be to clean entire statue with proprietary chemicals that
will thoroughly clean the surface to bare stone, while being a green chemical respecting our
environment. All previous repair work would then be mechanically removed and all cracks on the
piece would then be addressed and repaired for soundness.
Cracks and damaged areas such as missing beaks and chips would then be expertly filled with a
mixture of modern resins and stone dust to match as close to the original color as possible. The
areas would then be treated, painted, and textured to the exact color of original. All areas would
be shaped and molded to match original artist’s intent.
In essence, the work will look like the day Mr. Cameron finished this beautiful piece. I feel with
my 40 years of statue restoration experience that this wonderful statue will be able to endure
another 60 years.”
Staff recommends using the Lenahan trust to fund the restoration work. These funds were donated to
the City of Newport Beach along with a collection of Elisabeth Wiltrout Longridge paintings in 2011.
Subject to recommendation from the Arts Commission, the funds were provided for arts related matters
for or relating to the City but not for regular operational costs of the Arts Commission or the City.
The Lenahan Trust also stipulates that, whenever possible, when Funds are used, that appropriate donor
recognition will be provided. Staff recommends that a plaque that both recognizes the Lenahan Trust
and provides background about Seagulls in Flight and Molly McClintock should be implemented.
NOTICING:
This agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at
which the City Arts Commission considers the item).