Cerritos Council Gives Final Approval on $275K Art Piece

By Randy Economy
The Cerritos City Council has put their final stamp of approval on a new art piece that will sit inside the cities ever growing Sculpture Garden located next to city hall on Bloomfield Avenue.
At last Thursday’s city council meeting, Assistant City Manager Kathleen Jung Matsumoto told Mayor Mark Pulido and other city officials that the new art piece called “Infinity,” will carry a total price tag of approximately $275,000. Matsumoto said that the $275,000 price tag will come from a special city art fund, instead of using public tax dollars.
Kanna Vancheswaran, the Assistant City Engineer said the completed art piece weighs 1,200 pounds and measures 7’10” in height, 8’4” in width and is 15’ in length.
Cliff Garten, the artist and creator of “Infinity,” reminded city officials that he has been working on the piece for the past two years, and that the final unveiling of the work could come as early as July 4th during the city’s annual “Let Freedom Ring Ceremony.”
The project has been in the works for more than two years dating back to July 9, 2012 when the Cerritos City Council approved the concept for a “well illuminated art piece.” Matsumoto cited a “complex fabrication process” as being the main reason on why the art piece is now several months behind schedule.
Matsumoto told city council members that after the original engineering and “foundation design process” was completed, she along with Garten and city engineers determined that the piece needed to have a durable, “solid base” installed in order to “keep the art piece intact for the next 50 years.”
Matsumoto continued in her report that “it is important that the lights be strategically positioned far enough from the art piece so as to highlight the various curves of the sculpture, while creating ways to protect the lights from water, vandalism and damage and the city from potential liability and additional costs.”
According to the staff report, the uniqueness of the project will also include programmable LED light fixtures that cost $1,500 per element. Staff members did not disclose how many LED components will be installed into the twisted art piece that when completed will be served as one of the main attractions to the pristinely kept Sculpture Garden.
“When you walk into the Sculpture Garden in the future, this will become a central viewing area due to its unique qualities,” Garten said.
It is believed that the illuminated sculpture should be fully functional for the next 50 years.