The Library, Culture and Arts Commission and local residents Dec. 18 unveiled “Dear Family,” the newest installment of public art decorating downtown Morgan Hill.
Created by Gilroy artist Evelyn Davis, the piece consists of three bronze sculptures resembling a “family” of deer grazing in the median of Monterey Road just south of Third Street.
Davis said the title of the piece is a reference not only to the black-tailed deer that roam the hills—and sometimes the downtown streets—but also to the human families of Morgan Hill.
“I feel Morgan Hill is a great place to raise a family, for people because of the home-town atmosphere, the surrounding countryside, the activities and the recreational facilities; and for deer because there is such a richness of landscape surrounding our city with forage and waterways and protected areas,” Davis said.
She added the art piece is a “classic bronze installation,” made in the “lost wax” process that has been in use for thousands of years. “It will only increase in value as art, but it is worthless to anyone who might want to steal it because it cannot be reycled or sold,” Davis said.
Davis won a “mini-grant” from the city of Morgan Hill to create the piece. The city grant program back in January offered up to $91,000 for a total of 12 public art pieces to decorate downtown Morgan Hill as the city enacts its “placemaking investment strategy.” That strategy, which includes about half a dozen construction projects under way downtown, seeks to revitalize the neighborhood with upgraded infrastructure and new development in order to attract more visitors and improve traffic safety, according to city staff.
Most of the 12 art projects created with the assistance of the city grants were temporary and intended to be displayed during construction of various properties and streets.
Four of the art pieces, including “Dear Family,” will remain in their current locations as permanent art. These permanent pieces, originally proposed by the artists, highlight Morgan Hill’s natural features and surroundings, according to city staff.
Other downtown art pieces created by city funding include:
—a steel art display by Helen Lessick in the Community Garden on Butterfield Boulevard;
—a mosaic sculpture of grapes by Peter Hazel on the southeast corner of Third Street and Monterey Road;
—a wine country themed mosaic, also by Hazel, outside the Community and Cultural Center.
The art pieces and construction projects are funded primarily by Redevelopment Agency bond proceeds left over from 2008 and 2009.
