A little more than 50 years ago, when Brea City Manager Wayne Wedin was vacationing in Europe, he was struck by the abundance of public art accessible to the masses.
Wedin returned home, inspired to start a public art program in Brea.
Now celebrating its golden anniversary, Brea’s Art in Public Places initiative has been hugely successful, with nearly 200 pieces beautifying the city’s landscape, ranging from sculptures of individuals who reflect the town’s history to abstract pieces forged from metal conveying an artist’s thoughts.
“We’re constantly adding to it,” said Katie Chidester, Brea Gallery director. “There’s more work being added all the time. And for such a small city … Brea is 12 miles long and we have (nearly) 200 sculptures, which is a lot. It’s probably the biggest sculpture collection in the state.”
The Art in Public Places program in Brea is somewhat unique in that it integrates art into the community through private funding from developers and builders.
A sculpture is required for developments of $1.5 million or more, meaning art pieces decorate warehouses and residential communities, shopping centers and factories across Brea.
The cost of the sculpture must be equal to 1% of the project’s total building valuation, and the sculpture on the property must be accessible to the community from the street or sidewalk.
A city committee approves the pieces.
Since judging the beauty of art is subjective, identifying the most aesthetically pleasing sculptures is difficult, Chidester said, but there are pieces in the collection that have drawn praise from the community.
One such sculpture is Avalon’s Legacy.
Situated at Imperial Highway and Placentia Avenue, the life-size bronze sculpture of a woman dancing with a young girl was created by Tanya Ragir in 2001, described as a representation of what “passes between generations.”
One well-known sculpture is the 14-foot-tall bronze Wildcat standing atop concrete boulders, poised high above the entrance to Brea Olinda High School.
The Wildcat is one of six pieces in the collection by sculptor Carlos Terres, who is originally from Lagos de Moreno, Brea’s sister city in Mexico. He also created the “Early California Family” at the Founders Shopping Center, “Hermandad” at the Civic Center, “Jumping Deer” at the Fieldstone Terrace Homes, “La Mecedora (The Rocking Chair)” at the Krause Sofa Factory, “Roughnecks” at the Berry Business Center. He was also tapped to create a piece for the city’s centennial in 2018.
Artist Bret Price, an Orange County sculptor who crafts his art by heating pieces of metal at high temperatures and then uses heavy equipment to twist and bend the pieces into the desired shape, has contributed three abstract sculptures to the collection: “Red Ascent” at the Nature’s Best Warehouse, “The Gathering” at the Fairway Center II and “Deep Purple” At the Trico Lambert Center.
Unlike a museum, where the majority of the art is on a wall, public art is a “wonderful addition to human existence,” Price said.
“It’s this pursuit of meaning,” said Price, who has created hundreds of sculptures in his long career, “And if you don’t like it, and if you don’t see, if you’re not getting anything out of it, it’s kind of like turning the channel on the radio. You’re not expected to like all art. But by and large, you can travel through this town and see pieces of art that you would not ordinarily expect. I think that’s a wonderful thing for a community.”
On the downside, there have been incidents involving theft and vandalism of the sculptures over the years, particularly those made of bronze, a popular target for thieves because of its value as scrap metal.
In March, the “Jumping Deers” piece at the north end of Berry Street was vandalized, thieves making off with one of the three bronze-sculptured deer.
The sculpture “Vicky” at Puente Street and Whittier Boulevard and “Porpoise at Play” at East Palm and Moonstone streets were also stolen over the last seven months.
Officials have asked owners to become more vigilant and consider installing security cameras as a way to keep an eye on the sculptures, Chidester said.
In recent months, Brea police have arrested individuals who were attempting to dismantle a sculpture, Chidester said, adding that artists should perhaps consider using materials that aren’t prone to theft.
Looking ahead, more art is scheduled to be added to the continuously growing collection, Chidester said.
Two are set to be installed at the 119,000-square-foot expansion of the Brea Mall under construction.
Celebrating the art
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Art in Public Places program, the Brea Gallery is hosting the exhibition “Mapping the Landscape: A 50 Year Dialogue with Art + the Community.”
The exhibition features multi-medium work by the artists in the public sculpture collection, showcasing their talent and variety of techniques that are featured around the city.
A look ahead to the next 50 years is also included in the exhibition, which runs through Sept. 19.
Tickets and information: breaartgallery.com