Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

Monte Sereno residents told the City Council to reject the garden sculpture by city resident William Cunningham.

Monte Sereno bows to will of residents on sculpture

By Nathan R. Huff

Monte Sereno residents may not know a whole lot about art, but they know what they like, and the flower sculpture sitting in front of City Hall isn't it.

The city received a total of 34 letters relating to the sculpture, 32 of which were negative. Some letter writers simply criticized the color and placement of the artwork. Others said they flat-out didn't care for it.

The City Council responded by voting 4-1 to thank the sculptor, Monte Sereno resident and local teacher William Cunningham, and politely decline purchasing the artist's work. The piece had a gallery price tag of $1,200, but Cunningham had offered to sell it to the city for $850.

The sculpture, a curving metal poppy, has adorned City Hall's newly landscaped front yard for the past three months. Councilman Jack Lucas and former Councilwoman Dorothea Bamford approached Cunningham about using his art as part of the new landscaping for City Hall. Cunningham agreed to loan the sculpture to the city for a free trial period.

Councilman Joel Gambord said the letters showed the community clearly did not support the sculpture. "I think the people in the community here don't believe it belongs here," Gambord said. "We've had overwhelmingly negative comments, and I think we should listen."

The one dissenting vote came from Lucas, who argued that a change in location and color could improve public perception of the sculpture. "I would still like to see a piece of sculpture in our beautiful new landscaping," Lucas told council members and the audience.

The rest of the council disagreed, as did the large audience, the majority of which raised their hands in an informal vote to return the statue to Cunningham.

Councilwoman Barbara Nesbet said she doesn't oppose replacing the sculpture with another piece of art, but she would like community members to have an opportunity to offer their input.

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