Fair Board OKs spending for renovation plans for art piece memorial
It was back to the drawing board this week for a problematic art piece memorial at the Orange County Fair and Event Center that sought to recognize farm workers’ historic struggles.
The Fair Board voted 5-0 Thursday to give up to $27,500 to the California Fairs Finance Authority — a Sacramento-based group that provides services to California fairs — to come up with renovation plans for “Table of Dignity.”
Chairman Gerardo Mouet and board members Sandra Cervantes, Newton Pham and Robert Ruiz were absent from the meeting.
The memorial, constructed near Centennial Farm, features two large-scale portals built from rammed earth — a technique that involves constructing walls out of tightly packed soil and other natural materials. Between them is a wooden table supported by a 14-ton boulder, symbolizing a place where all sit as equals and can celebrate Orange County’s rich agricultural history.
However, “Table of Dignity” has been fenced off for months, with officials saying it needs to be renovated to ensure it is structurally sound and isn’t a safety risk to visitors.
“I continue to be very excited about this project and I continue to believe it’s the right thing for this property,” Fair Board member Ashleigh Aitken said Thursday of the renovation plans. “But we are going to have to develop a plan on completion.”
“The intentions were great, but the results weren’t,” added board member Stan Tkaczyk. “Now we’re going to come back and get results.”
The board’s vote authorizes fairgrounds staff to work with the Finance Authority to develop a scope of work and budget for the project so it can be “bid out and constructed correctly,” Aitken said.
It’s not yet known how much the extra work will cost. The project’s initial budget was set at $90,000, fairgrounds officials said in 2013.
“It’s going to be a sacrifice — both in staff time and a sacrifice to our budget,” Aitken said. “But I really feel that it’s nothing compared to the sacrifice that a lot of these agricultural workers gave in blood, sweat and tears.”
The shaky state of “Table of Dignity” first came to light in June. Officials at that time acknowledged it needed extra work, but said those efforts would have to wait until after the summer fair, which opened July 15 and ended Aug. 14.
The Fair Board approved the concept for “Table of Dignity” in 2013. In a news release sent out in October of that year, officials said the expectation was to complete the piece in time for the 2014 OC Fair. It was made by Costa Mesa native Ricardo Mendoza and Josh Sarantitis, a New York-based artist.
About 200 people attended a ceremony on Labor Day 2015 to unveil the memorial, which officials characterized then as still a work in progress.
It’s important for the Fair & Event Center to finish “Table of Dignity,” Aitken said, to “honor our commitment to the Latino farm workers, to the Latino community and to all agricultural workers in this county.”
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
