Council to Local Sculptor: "Take It or Leave It"

As part of its goal to create a permanent sculpture garden, the City of Manhattan Beach will purchase several pieces of art that have been on display in the Civic Plaza, though one piece, the priciest by far, may roll away.

The prominently displayed red and silver bicycle, currently housed on 13^th street outside Shade Hotel just beyond the Civic Plaza limits, has been on lease from artist Amos Robinson for $2,500 each year. The City is now considering purchasing the piece, named My Bike II. Robinson has set her price at $20,000.

After much debate, the City Council decided Tuesday that $6,000 is its highest bid, telling Robinson, "Take it or leave it."

Staff Liaison Juanita Purner, Cultural Arts Manager, presented the issue in a staff report at Tuesday's council meeting. Currently, the City has on lease seven sculptures throughout Civic Plaza, 13^th Street and Veterans Parkway. These pieces rotate during the year, and new pieces are brought in on lease as deemed appropriate.

A new set of sculptures is set to appear October 18 and 19, with five new sculptures and, corresponding with the art, five new leases. The council has the job of deciding if any of the outgoing seven pieces should have their leases extended or, in order to build a permanent sculpture garden, be purchased by the City.

Councilman Nick Tell proposed that the City ask, "What do we want to do with this permanent sculpture garden? What is it we want to accomplish, and which pieces that come through accomplish that?"

Council has a Public Art Trust reserve with a balance of more than $197,000 to help accomplish this goal, though no one on the council seemed quite able to define it. What council could agree on, however, were three specific sculptures members said they wished to make permanent.

City staff agreed to purchase the golden "Seahorse" sculpture by Frank Mando for $2,000, as well as a $5,000 sculpture featuring sea life called "Remember When Fish Were …" Both pieces currently sit outside the library in the Civic Plaza area.

The debate, then, centered around that expensive bicycle.

"To me, the bicycle is just a very unique art piece," said Councilman Wayne Powell, who put it before council to consider purchasing the artwork. "Whether you consider the city buying art as an investment, which is one way to look at it, or a public work, visitors come here and they talk about this one unique piece of art."

One such visitor, Langley Clark, told Patch she loved the sculpture. She has been in town frequently from Florida over the past year planning her best friend's wedding.

"We wanted to be sure to get wedding photos in front of the bicycle," Clark said. "It is just so Manhattan Beach."

Purner explained that the artist, Amos Robinson, has solicited $20,000 for one or both of his two sculptures on display. The second piece, "Four Seasons," is currently seated on Veterans Parkway, but few council members appeared interested in pursuing its purchase.

"Maybe we should discuss what we'd be willing to pay and come back with an offer," Councilwoman Portia Cohen suggested.

The council had some back-and-forth on what this final offer should be, eventually deciding the piece was the most outstanding of those it was considering for purchase. For this reason, council upped its offer to $6,000 from an initially suggested $5,000. This, said councilmembers, was their best and final offer.

With the new installation already scheduled within the next six days, Robinson will have to make a quick decision on the offer. If he refuses, council may consider extending the lease for another year on this piece, but it is wary of the long-term costs of continually leasing art.

A more likely scenario is the removal of the widely-popular installation.