Community

Over the past week, Gavilan College has hosted thousands of visitors and ceremoniously conferred hundreds of degrees, certificates and other accolades to members of the Class of 2024 who have completed their studies in a variety of academic programs.  The college held its 104th annual...

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.

After a decades-long planning process, local leaders broke

Los Gatos painter Thomas Kinkade died at his Los Gatos home Friday. He was 54.

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Catch the cast at Mount Madonna Middle School as they star

The Morgan Hill police department wants to know if residents and visitors feel safe and how much confidence they have in local officers, and the city plans to conduct an extensive survey to gather these and other data.