UCI seminar aims to preserve Noguchi garden

Jennifer Kho

IRVINE -- UC Irvine officials will hold a round-tablediscussion

Wednesday on the significance of Isamu Noguchi’s California Scenario,

hoping to pressure the owners of the sculpture garden into preserving the

site forever.

The symposium, which will be moderated by Dickran Tashijian, chair of

the UC Irvine Department of Art History, will include presentations about

public art and Noguchi’s vision of California, a documentary about

Noguchi and a panel debate.

Many, such as Costa Mesa Councilwoman Linda Dixon, who will be part of

the panel discussion, hope to convince the Costa Mesa City Council to

require the sculpture garden’s owners, Commonwealth Partners LLC, to

maintain and protect it “in perpetuity.”

Commonwealth Partners is one of the developers of the Town Center

project, a project that seeks to transform South Coast Metro into a

pedestrian-oriented cultural arts district bordered by Bristol Street,

Sunflower Avenue, Avenue of the Arts and the San Diego Freeway.

The council gave final approval to parts of the project proposed by

South Coast Partners and the Orange County Performing Arts Center on

March 5, but postponed a decision on the Commonwealth part of the

project.

A dispute about the length of time Commonwealth would be required to

maintain the garden for public use has kept the firm from getting final

approval.

Commonwealth representatives agreed to a 25-year term previously

suggested by the council but said it could not get financing for the

project if the council, as it decided March 19, insists on requiring the

developer to maintain the garden and public parking “in perpetuity.”

Councilwoman Libby Cowan said she doesn’t believe Commonwealth will

give up the project if the words “in perpetuity” are added to the

contract.

Costa Mesa resident Laura Rakunas, who said she plans to attend the

symposium, said she doesn’t either.

“People in other countries have gone to such lengths to try to

preserve their cultural heritage, and here they [don’t want] ‘in

perpetuity’ put in contracts,” she said. “Like any other work of art, but

installation art particularly, it can’t be duplicated. Other cities seem

to respect their art, but I get the feeling that it’s only tolerated here

as long as it doesn’t interfere with business. I don’t know anything

about [Commonwealth Partners’] financing, but I think when there’s a

will, there’s a way.”

The council is scheduled to review a new contract requiring

Commonwealth to maintain the garden in perpetuity May 21.

FYI

The symposium will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in the

Humanities Instructional Building, Room 110, at UC Irvine.

For parking, please use the parking structure on Mesa Road.