Beloved sculpture gets a new look

Laguna Beach’s oldest public sculpture — and one of the community’s favorites — has been restored.

Ruth Peabody’s 1933 “Boy and Dog” sculpture, at Jahraus Park and believed to be the oldest public artwork in the city, will be rededicated by Mayor Kelly Boyd at 5 p.m. Thursday after a three-month renovation project.

A reception following the rededication will be during the Artwalk at the Marion Meyer Contemporary Art gallery, 354 N. Coast Highway.

The restoration was paid for by Business Improvement District funds and a donation from local resident Mark Porterfield, who said the figure is one of many in Laguna that he greatly admires.

“The ‘Boy and Dog’ has always been one of my favorite public art pieces,” he said. “I like that it’s both art and functional: The water flows from the dog dish on top down the side of the base into the water basin on the bottom for dogs to use, which is something a lot of people probably don’t realize.

“I think it’s important to support public art in Laguna because it’s what defines our town from other coastal towns: It’s our brand.”

Porterfield has also made donations to the city’s Nautilus Bench (at the corner of Forest Avenue and Glenneyre Street) and the “Community” piece on the side of the Hagen House (on Third Street).

“The bench has black pearl you rub for good luck in travel, and the Community piece has a lead fish that [functions] like a barometer that tells how we’ve done as a community year-over-year in the fight against HIV infection,” he said.

He said Sian Poeschl, art coordinator for the city, approached him about the restoration on the statue, which had “bronze cancer” and was deteriorating over time.

The construction of a new base, plumbing, dog water basin and plants were part of the $26,000 restoration process.

Bolton Colburn, director of the Laguna Art Museum, who will be a guest speaker at the event, said he is excited about the rededication.

“Ruth Peabody was an important artist in Laguna, and this piece is a big part of our history,” he said.

Peabody and her mother, Eleanor Coburn, were two of the city’s earliest, most prominent artists who helped make Laguna famous in the art world.

The “Boy and Dog” sculpture, created by Peabody for Sophie Kerr, in memory of a daughter and her love of animals, was among the artist’s most distinguished achievements.