On March 12, 2015, the San Diego Union Tribune (
visit link) ran the following story:
"At SDMA, a move from the vault to the open air
San Diego Museum of Art moves seven modern sculptures outside for free viewing
By Catherine Gaugh | 6 p.m. March 12, 2016
The fellows in “The Watchers” don’t look happy. But they should be.
The trio of ominous, 7-foot-high bronze figures with blocky heads and three skinny legs each is one of seven significant modern sculptures released from the San Diego Museum of Art’s storage vault and placed outside for the “Art of the Open Air” exhibit, which opened in mid-February.
The works are anchored on the perimeter of Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama and are available for viewing 24 hours a day, every day, for the next two years.
These works and more have been under wraps for many years. For some of the larger sculptures — as wide or as tall as 10 feet — displaying them in an indoor gallery was impractical. Others were in need of repair and care.
Anita Feldman discovered the treasures shortly after she arrived last spring to become the museum’s deputy director of curatorial affairs and education. Her surprise was followed by joy. And then by an idea.
“I did not know the museum had so many important pieces of sculpture,” she said. “I thought almost immediately that they belonged outside.”
Feldman, who has a background in public sculpture, eyed the wide open space in front of the museum, populated with chairs and umbrellas.
“Here we have very important works, and there is an enormous empty plaza right on our doorstep,” she said. “ It would be crazy not to show the sculptures outside. We could let the people of San Diego appreciate the fine works of art that are right here in their city.”
The idea suited the museum’s mission, said executive director Roxana Velásquez.
“To make art more accessible and having public art at the heart of Balboa Park has always been a goal,” Velásquez said. “Together with city leaders and community organizations, the team has worked diligently to make this possible.”
As part of the new exhibit, the museum has designed the Sculpture Walk, a self-guided tour of the newly installed works. Starting in the plaza, it continues past the Panama 66 cafe and into the May S. Marcy Sculpture Garden. In all, 15 sculptures are featured on the tour, including a recently reinstalled Alexander Calder work, “Spinal Column,” in the garden. Maps are available any time of day or night in the plaza.
The suggested Sculpture Walk starts on the east side of the museum entrance with the sprawling, surreal Old West bronze “Big Open Skull” by Jack Zajac, then continues west to the bold and bright “Odyssey III” and the sleek “Solar Bird.”
On the west side is the Rodin statue, “The Prodigal Son,” and Francisco Zúñiga’s “Mother and Daughter Seated,” which is of two weary barefoot women who seem to be waiting for something and have apparently been waiting for a very long time.
There is careful placement of each work so that the art reflects its surroundings. Zúñiga’s sculpture has an intimate mood, Feldman said. “It has vulnerability. The mother and daughter needed some cover, so they are in a protected spot with trees and a few benches.”
Several yards away from the others, at the opposite end of the plaza, is the 10-foot-high “Border Crossing” figure of colorfully painted fiberglass by Luis Jiménez. It is the tall figure of a man carrying his family on his shoulders as they attempt to cross the Rio Grande. Its distance from the others suggests that the family is on the run."