St. Augustine officials approve controversial $250,000 sculpture as residents howl: ‘What is this thing?’

One person’s art is another’s outrage.

St. Augustine residents are questioning the City Commission’s approval of a $250,000 sculpture project by renowned artist Ivan Depena to be installed downtown, calling it unappealing, overpriced — or both.

But backers endorse the Native-American-inspired design, blasting critics for having narrow attitudes towards art and failing to grasp the importance of St. Augustine’s indigenous past.

The board unanimously tapped the Miami-born and Harvard educated artist to place the work near a stretch road connecting St. Augustine to Vilano Beach, an area that includes a heavily trafficked roundabout.

But the designs were met with considerable derision online, with Facebook posters questioning both its cost and its contours.

“What is this thing?” asked one observer, while others wondered why one of St. Augustine’s legion of local artists wasn’t hired for the project.

Others winced at the quarter million dollar price tag, asking if those monies could instead have been funneled to teachers, needy veterans, or the area’s growing homeless population.

Some locals also noted that the roundabout is notorious for collisions and near misses.

The new sculpture, they argued, could lead to more mayhem should drivers find themselves momentarily entranced by it.

The Citizen reviewed the Monday City Commission meeting where the board approved the project

The idea spawned from a new Public Art Committee that was formed last September, a panel comprised of fine arts experts including Vice Mayor Roxanne Horvath.

Christina Parrish Stone, Executive Director of the St. Johns Cultural Council, was also on the panel and spoke at Tuesday’s meeting about the process.

Stone said city officials began collecting public input a year ago, and pointedly noted that meeting information was shared “frequently and widely” online and on radio spots.

The committee eventually then issued a request for proposals, drawing responses for 100 artists from across the country.

That number was eventually whittled down to three applicants who traveled to St. Augustine to field suggestions at public meetings, Stone said.

The trio then met with the Public Art Committee again before submitting their designs.

Ultimately, Pena was selected.

Stone said the committee was drawn in part to Pena’s vision because it evoked bygone Native-American dwellings.

“We felt that it reflected aspects of history of the city, including the original homes of the indigenous people who lived here,” she said.

Stone also addressed potential traffic impacts.

“It is designed to be made of cast concrete, to incorporate coquina, it has oculuses throughout it that allow drivers to see oncoming traffic and also to view what’s ahead of them,” she explained.

While she voted for the project, boardmember Cynthia Garris gave a lukewarm assessment of the design, and worried that taxpayers might view the project as profligate.

She also predicted heavy ongoing maintenance for the installation.

“We’re spending quite a bit of money,” she said. “And I don’t want to do anything that the taxpayers will find this being an extravagant project. I know we all said we wanted to get something done over there. But I don’t want to get slapped back about how we are spending taxpayer money.”

While he lauded the project, boardmember Jim Springfield conceded that he’s “not an abstract art fan” and wondered if something more realistic could have been considered — like “galloping horses,” for example.

But Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline gave a full-throated endorsement of the proposal.

“This reference to the Native Americans that were here — if you look around we really don’t pay any homage,” she said. “And they came before us. And that’s very important to me.”

Horvath also celebrated the vote, and predicted resident satisfaction once the sculpture is erected.

“I could not be more excited to be a part of this,” she said. “I think everyone will be very proud when it gets done.”

A winner of multiple design awards and a current North Carolina resident, Depena, did not respond to a request for comment .