At the Mays Family Center in the Witte Museum Friday morning, Judge Nelson Wolff announced that Bexar County has selected artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada’s proposal for a public art piece at the main San Pedro Creek (SPC) plaza in time for the Tricentennial celebrations in 2018.
The selection is the result of a year-long search that received proposals from local, national, and international artists. The sculpture is a part of the arts component of the San Pedro Creek Improvements project.
Rodríguez-Gerada, originally from Cuba, grew up in New York and eventually moved to Barcelona in 2002. His work has been commissioned and exhibited throughout much of Europe and the United States. The design is a partnership between the artist, Arup Engineering Group, and RiverCity Industries. The total cost for the project is $735,000.
The sculpture itself, entitled “Plethora,” will be constructed from aluminum and aluminum cladding. It is designed to be 60 feet high and 40 feet wide, facing south, serving as an entry point to the park.
In his proposal, Rodríguez-Gerada states that the sculpture is an allegorical representation of an archetypal goddess, evoking an image of “a maternal, providing protector who is however venerated and powerful.”
“Jorge has agreed to move here as we proceed on the construction at San Pedro Creek and he begins to work on his sculpture,”Wolff said. “He will live and stay in San Antonio during that time frame.”
The design stood out from all of the others, Wolff explained, partly because it did not symbolize flowing water, which many of the other projects did.
“While other projects exemplify water, which is important to the creek, this (art piece) exemplifies the culture,” he said. “That’s what this project is going to be about. The history, the artwork of the civilizations that came here, and the human connection to the creek. And that’s exactly what Jorge has done. The use of light, space, and shadow represent the human connection to the creek.”
Rodríguez-Gerada, who made an appearance at the press conference via video from Barcelona, said that the nature and shape of the sculpture will complement the surrounding environment, making use of the latest technology to create the piece.
“This is a great honor. I’m grateful that my sculpture was chosen,” he said. “I’m very much looking forward to starting and working with an amazing team. We’ll be using the most cutting edge machines for the metal that I’ve ever seen in my life.”
When asked by the Rivard Report about the significance of San Antonio being able to attract attention from artists around the world, Wolff credited last year’s World Heritage designation of the San Antonio Missions as a major contributing factor.
“That gave us recognition all over the world, and may very well have played a role in the number of artists that responded to this request,” he said. “I believe this piece of public art will be the defining artwork for downtown or anywhere in this city. Hopefully it will lead to other works of public art for the city.”
To learn more about Rodríguez-Gerada and his artwork, click here.
San Antonio had no artists? No Texas Artists? No America. Artists? Politicians spending tax payers money like it’s theirs. That money should stay in US.
Daniel Peterson is entirely correct … we should find a San Antonion or Texan artist to create this art installation. This outlandish spending of tax payers dollars for an art piece that most people won’t even recognize is wrong – to the tune of $735,000. Unbelievable! Why is this happening? Answer: Liberals are in charge. Vote them out!
Waste of money and an insult to the many Christians (in the majority in San Antonio). If the city has this much money to waste, then it should skip this dubious project and lower our taxes.
That is plain down right ridiculous to spend that type of money on something that isn’t doing anything for anyone. I pray my tax money isn’t being used for this. Waste of money!!!!!
Are there any plans to identify and honor Capt. Pedro Aguirre Sagardia, who named the San Pedro Springs? Pedro de Aguirre, soldier, was born in Aranaz, Navarra, Spain, on April 24, 1678, the son of Pedro and María (Sagardia) de Aguirre; the family line can be traced back to the year 1200. Aguirre, a captain in the Spanish army and commander of Presidio del Río Grande del Norte, was ordered by a special council held August 7, 1708, to escort fathers Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares and Isidro Félix de Espinosaqqv to what is now the Colorado River to meet the Tejas Indians and their allies. The Spanish, who believed that the French were illegally trading in Texas (see SPANISH TEXAS), planned to use the Indians to keep watch on the French. The expedition left San Juan Bautista on April 5, 1709, and reached the Colorado on April 19. Upon reaching their destination, they learned that they were still three days’ travel from the land of the Tejas Indians, whereupon they turned back, since Aguirre did not have orders to proceed farther. The expedition returned to San Juan Bautista on April 28. During the trip they arrived at the site of what is now San Antonio, on April 13, 1709, and named the nearby springs San Pedro Springs, and the river San Antonio de Padua.
Instead of venerating this, “archetypal goddess…maternal protector who is powerful and venerated,” as the artist proclaims, why do we not focus on the truth and the real history and significance of this place?
This look horrible, I do not much care from where artist is but thing is not an art at all, and why my money should got there?!
It is the liberals that don’t give a crap about how they waste your money. Wolfe is at the top of the heap, he needs to go. What would have happened if a sculpture of Christ would have been approved, oh my goodness.
Sick! Huge step backward for San Antonio, up to now prized for its unique cultural beauty. Not to mention the WASTE of money on a piece that relates to nothing from the rich heritage and character of this city. Done by heavy handed decision-makers bent on imposing banality on the city.