The Coral Gables Sculpture Circle
a project by
Cultural Affairs Committee of the
Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce
Dedicated: October 17, 1980
Exhibition: October 1980 - January 1981
Sculptors: Alexander Liberman & Tony Rosenthal
The Coral Gables Sculpture Circle has become a reality. For the first time in its history, major contemporary works of outdoor sculpture are being exhibited in the heart of the City of Coral Gables.
This project has several goals: to add another visual experience to our daily lives; to help create a progressive, culturally enlightened image of our community; and to stimulate public awareness of, and interest in, contemporary art.
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| I view the Ponce Sculpture Circle Exhibit, sponsored by the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, as an exciting opportunity--a "first" for our area. This form of visual art by two renowned sculptors, displayed so strategically in the Ponce park-like setting, will be a refreshing pause in the busy lives of commuters. The overall cultural enrichment of our "City Beautiful" is to be greatly enhanced through this unique experience. Dolores P. Eldredge
Immediate Past President
Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce |
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A community is far more than blocks and bricks, people and plants. It is a collective expression of hopes and dreams, aspirations and ambitions. The exhibition of contemporary sculpture on Ponce de Leon Boulevard will be symbolic of Coral Gables' reputation as a quality community and enhances our position as "The City Beautiful." J. Martin Gainer
City Manager, City of Coral Gables
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The Arts and Business Communities have traditionally been stereotyped as opposites in philosophy. A cooperative effort between the two groups had been thought highly unlikely--if not impossible. However, the Florida experience is showing that at least one traditional stereotype is no longer true.
The Coral Gables Sculpture Circle is a demonstration of what can happen when divergent interests join together for a common goal. This symbolic Circle--encompassing local and regional arts groups, local, state, national and multinational business interests, and local and state government bodies--is a good example of Florida's leadership role as a "State of the Arts."
The efforts of those committed to the creation and sustenance of the Coral Gables Sculpture Circle are to be commended. As Florida's Chief Cultural Officer, and as a businessman, I am happy to offer every good wish for success.
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE
George Firestone
Secretary of State |
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To meet these goals, outdoor sculpture was selected as the art form most accessible to the entire community, at all hours of the day, over an extended period of time.
The sculptors—Alexander Liberman and Tony Rosenthal—were chosen for the excellence of their work as well as its compatibility with the site, a lightly wooded one-acre ellipse surrounded by office buildings, shops and restaurants. We are most grateful to both artists for their kind generosity in lending the Chamber these works for a four-month period.
A special note of gratitude must go to our selection committee, which included Leslie Ahlander, Coordinator of the Metro-Dade Art in Public Places program; Ira Licht, Director of the Lowe Art Museum; and Tom Schmitt, Assistant Director of the Metropolitan Museum and Art Centers, who stood in for Dr. Arnold Lehman, former Director of the Metropolitan.
Tom Schmitt also generously donated his extensive expertise in siting the works and overseeing their installation, including the critical task of anchoring a 23-foot steel sculpture in coral rock without significantly altering the site.
This project would nor have been possible without the unstinting help and encouragement of Dolores Eldredge, former chairperson of the Cultural Affairs Committee and immediate past president of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, who accompanied me in seeking financial support from numerous businesses, financial institutions, and locally based multinational corporations.
Robin Reiter, a member of the Cultural Affairs Committee and Executive Director of the Arts Council of Southeast Banking Corp., offered invaluable professional assistance on numerous occasions, helped me write three grant proposals, and joined other committee members in appearing before the City on behalf of the project.
We are most grateful to Coral Gables Mayor Jimmy Dunn and other members of the City Commission, and particularly to City Manager Martin Gainer for his guidance and support; to the Florida Fine Arts Council, for funding a matching grant for this project; and to those civic-minded contributors, listed elsewhere in this catalog, whose generosity brought our dream into fruition.
Other members of the committee contributing to the success of this project included Susan Reiling and Albert R. Killigan, who assisted with the mailing of the invitations; Deborah Hoffman, Mary MacArthur, and Bella Smith. Other support came from former Chamber President Ron Robison and Jordan Steele, chairperson of the Beautification Committee. Members of the Chamber staff who served well beyond the call of duty were Rosemary Feeney, Leanne Feinauer, Dorine McDonough, Ellen Wells and, most of all, Executive Vice-president Tom E. Chegin.
The visual arts are an essential element in bringing our urban environment into human perspective. The Cultural Affairs Committee hopes that the Coral Gables Sculpture Circle will establish a precedent for permanent installations of contemporary works of art, so that our City Beautiful can continue to realize its full potential.
Virginia Miller
Project Director
Coral Gables Sculpture Circle
Chairperson, Cultural Affairs Committee |
Just as it was envisioned by the founder of our city, George Edgar Merrick, Ponce Circle has become an outdoor showplace for the arts, thanks to the perseverance of Virginia Miller and the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. But despite their work and support from the Fine Arts Council of Florida, this historic event—the introduction of contemporary outdoor sculpture in downtown Coral Gables—could not have taken place without the additional contributions of more than a dozen of our local businesses, financial institutions, and locally based multinational corporations. It is contributions like all of these that comprise the unique sense of community and outstanding hometown spirit of Coral Gables.
James S. Dunn
Mayor, City of Coral Gables
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