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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 - Relocation of Okazaki Friendship SculptureItem No. 10 March 22, 1999 COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT Arts & Cultural - Library - Recreation - Seniors . To: Mayor and Members of City Council From: Newport Beach Sister Cities Association Board of Library Trustees City Arts Commission Re: Relocation of Okazaki Friendship Sculpture RECOMMENDATION Approve the relocation of the Okazaki Friendship sculpture from the City Hall site to the Central Library of the Newport Beach Public Library. BACKGROUND The Newport Beach Sister Cities Friendship statue, a gift from Okazaki, Japan, has been sited behind City Hall adjacent to the parking lot since its gift to the City in 1985. The sculpture is a symbol of the Sister City relationship with the Cities of Okazaki and Newport Beach. Each year a number of visitors, including City officials, business leaders, exchange students, and the Okazaki princesses, come from Okazaki to view the sculpture and have their pictures taken in front of it to commemorate the spirit of friendship between the two cities. The statue is entitled "Nakayoshi," meaning "Friend." It depicts two children embracing and sits on a large granite base with a plaque describing the piece and declaring the citizens of Newport Beach and Okazaki as friends. Okazaki is known for its very high -grade sculpture - quality granite and its stone carvers. The Sister Cities Association has for several years requested that a site with higher visibility and more suitable viewing by the public and foreign visitors be found. An inventory of various sites was made and reviewed. The grounds of the Central Library appeared to be the most appropriate location. Not only will the sculpture be in a more visible and suitable area, but it will be on the site of the library's Bamboo Courtyard for which Okazaki South Rotary contributed $10,000 in 1994. The siting at the library within the pine trees is also similar to the setting for the other Okazaki gifts to the City which are located in Irvine Terrace Park. At Irvine Terrace Park are two stone lanterns, gifts of the Okazaki South Rotary, which sit among seven pine trees, gifts from the Okazaki City Council. The Board of Library Trustees was approached with the relocation request by the Sister Cities Association. The Library Board formally approved this recommendation on December 15, 1998. The relocation was discussed and endorsed by the City Arts Commission. A joint request with the Board of Library Trustees is attached. In August 1999 the Sister Cities Association and Okazaki will celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of this relationship. It is the desire of the Sister Cities Association to commemorate this important event by rededicating the "Friendship" sculpture in its new setting as part of the celebration of this anniversary. The Sister Cities Association has to date accepted donations of nearly $500 for the cost of relocation. The pad for the statue has been poured at the Central Library by the General Services Department. It has also been determined, after careful evaluation of weight and size of the sculpture, that City staff can undertake the relocation. Attachment: 1. Letter from Karen Evans, President of the Sister Cities Association, March 12, 1999 2. Sketch of the proposed site at the Central Library March 12, 1999 TO: Newport Beach City Council Members FROM: Karen Evarts, Sister City Association President Wendell Fish, Vice President, Okazaki Committee and founder, Newport Beach Sister City Association Over the last fifteen years the city of Newport Beach has been the recipient of several thoughtful gifts from our Sister city of Okazaki, Japan and its Rotary Club. First was the receipt of the Friendship Statue, currently placed behind city hall. Second was two stone lanterns, both installed in Irvine Terrace Park. Most recent was a gift of $10,000 for the Bamboo Court at the Central Library. But it is the siting of the Friendship Sculpture, officially called Nakayoshi- -which has been the subject of much concern over the years. The city of Okazaki is famous for its granite and also for its stone - carvers. The Friendship statue was sculpted in the local stone by a member of the Okazaki Rotary Club. It was shipped to Newport Beach in 1984, where it resided in the city's storage yard for six months. The Sister City Association and the Rotary Club were then made aware of the decision that the statue would be placed behind city hall, just off the back parking lot, with a landscaped area adjacent to it. During the dedication ceremony in 1984 there was much comment from those present, that Yne dndice dT'ioceibon was'irOiy uriT0hunBie. So for fourteen years now there has been discussion - -among association members, city council members, among Rotarians and city residents in general - -that the sculpture should be relocated. Maybe to the front of city hall, maybe to one of the Gateway parks, maybe to the Central Library. All of these locations, and especially the latter - -the pine grove adjacent to the Library- -would afford the sculpture a more prominent position. It would also provide security from vandalism and far better greeting and photo opportunities for the many groups of exchange students, government leaders and interested adults who come to visit Newport Beach each year. Of course there are some who have grown fond of the sculpture in its current location. There is a lot of foot - traffic behind city hall, and the tiny park has been well- maintained. However, the association feels that the proposed site at the Central Library would be far more beneficial. It would be safe, it would be viewed by all who use the Central Library, and the site would be much more conducive to the Sister -City ceremonies that regularly honor the spirit of Friendship. CiT <-� C7 rn r}i fii -1 ZI �T i �t � o� N G �y m� W V n� IV O Ca/ of Newport Beach ARTS COMMISSION March 15, 1999 Mayor Dennis O'Neil City of Newport Beach 3300 Newport Boulevard Newport Beach, CA 92663 Dear Mayor O'Neil: V.; -2 :i G. COUNCIL AGENDA NO. yr P':P,ft 18 r,9 :17 I write on behalf of the City Arts Commission to express our wholehearted support of the relocation of the Okazaki Friendship statue to the grounds of the Central Library. In our recently developed Cultural • Master Plan beginning January 1998, one of the major objectives was finding a more suitable location for the sculpture and moving it. As it is one of the few significant pieces of public art in the City, we feel that it deserves a far more important viewing place than the back parking lot of City Hall. After researching a number of possible locations and working in conjunction with the Sister Cities Association and the Board of Library Trustees, we agree that the Central Library affords the statue a more prominent, visible location and appropriate security. As a celebration of the City of Newport Beach/Okazaki relationship, we ask you to support this project as well. Sincerely, Pat Brubaker Chair, Arts Commission • P.O. Box 1768 • 3300 Newport Boulevard • Newport Beach, CA • 92658 -8915 • Phone 714 - 717 -3870 • Fax 714- 640 -5681