CaliforniaScope,” Coronado’s latest Public Art installation, will be unveiled at noon on July 10, launching a fifth anniversary celebration of the Community Center and an annual Water Carnival. The giant interactive kaleidoscope, which produces a cornucopia of light, color, pattern and movement, will be mounted on a concrete base just outside the Community Center lobby, on the Glorietta Bay Promenade. Originally designed and included as part of the Port of San Diego’s Urban Tree project, “CaliforniaScope” will be a temporary art installation in Coronado. Recently offered for sale at $15,000, it will be on loan to the City for the next year without cost. Public Art Sub-Committee Chair Heidi Wilson hailed the piece as an exciting addition to the City’s public art program. “We’re so grateful to artists Harmon Nelson and his associates for allowing us to display this piece. It will give Coronado children a magical experience with art, sparking their creativity and imagination. Today, when art
curriculum has basically been eliminated from our public education system because of funding constraints, pieces like this are especially important. Art is a language all children understand.” The 7’ kaleidoscope, constructed of welded steel, carved glass and uniquely designed fixtures and surfaces, has control knobs that allow the viewer to change three of the scope’s lenses while rotating the entire scope horizontally and vertically. It was produced by environmental graphic artist Harmon Nelson, glass artist Vicki Leon, and Steve Riggs, a metal artist. The whimsical piece will be mounted on a concrete base, donated to the City by the Coronado Historical Association. It is designed to be viewed by persons of all ages, heights and abilities. The City of Coronado Public Art Program began in 2001 to promote awareness and appreciation of works of art in Coronado and to ensure the public plays a significant role in future development of the City’s public spaces. To date there are 30 public art pieces located throughout the City, including six pieces owned by the Port of San Diego’s Public Art “Tidelands Collection”. The 22nd Annual Water Carnival, which follows the unveiling, will take place at the Coronado Pool between 12:30 to 4 p.m., and includes entertainment, games, craft activities and refreshments. The Coronado Community Center and adjacent Pool were reconstructed and re-opened five years ago this month. For more information, contact Peter Fait, City of Coronado, (619) 522-7326; or pick up
one of the new “Public Art Walking Tour” brochures at the Community Center, City Hall, or Coronado Visitor Center at 1100 Orange Avenue.
