Laguna Arts Commission to consider revised bench design for beach overlook area

The Laguna Beach Arts Commission on Monday will consider an updated design from sculptor Michael Stutz for a new bench at the Mountain Road beach overlook.

A commission subcommittee recommended Stutz’s design out of three finalists, who presented during a June public meeting.

“Sea Stone Spills On Ocean Step Hill” will be made out of stainless steel strips woven in patterns that allow light to filter through the bench.

Stutz wanted to make minor changes such as adding color to some of the strips along with a plaque, Cultural Arts manager Sian Poeschl said Friday.

“If there is one hallmark with the work I do, it’s a sense of energy and movement,” Stutz, a sculptor and designer who lives in Fallbrook, told commissioners during a June meeting. “The piece looks like a stone, a footprint in the sand, like a wave crashing.”

Laguna Beach officials last month welcomed new stairs and an overlook area, among other improvements to an area that offers views of the ocean and sits close to the Garden of Peace and Love, a memorial to people felled by HIV and AIDS.

The city project included new landscaping, lighting and bicycle racks, the Daily Pilot reported.

Also Monday, the commission will discuss whether to issue a call to artists to design and create a public art installation at the roundabout at Catalina Street and Los Robles.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 505 Forest Ave.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce